It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with Impetigo’s Horror of the Zombies.
If you somehow haven’t heard of the passing of the mighty George Romero, then you’ve been a big ass rock. It’s always a shame to lose a legend, but man, Romero was a horror heavy hitter like few were, are or will ever be. His tongue-in-cheek cynicism towards society and social commentary were always too real. But that’s part of what made a lot of his flicks (especially the early living dead stuff) incredible. And yeah, this sort of stuff had an incredible effect on metal.
Horror of the Zombies isn’t really a Romero inspired album, but its zombie fixation likely wouldn’t exist without it. I mean, this is really more akin to Porno Holocaust at times, than anything else. And really, it even transcends that level. Whatever, it’s still a death metal/goregrind classic and besides biting social commentary, what else do we love about Romero movies? Deliciously gory Tom Savini special effects.
Okay, so really Impetigo is kind of obsessed by fucking corpses…and gore/splatter…and cannibal themes. And humans that are about to make a short trip to the county medical examiner. So, it’s not really like a Romero film, apparently I’m just looking for an excuse to talk about Impetigo. Yet this is the album that came to mind when deciding on a feature. And Horror of the Zombies is catchy as hell, in case you didn’t already know.
It’s not unusual for goregrind to be nearly incomprehensible. Last Days of Humanity anyone? But Impetigo were there way early on (as were the aforementioned). And really, Impetigo sound more like they’re taking cues from Death or Autopsy than Napalm Death. But Horror of the Zombies was an extreme album at the time, and still is now. Hell, it’s better crafted than most albums now. It’s more death metal than grindcore but when it blends, it’s like hitting a puree switch. “Staph Terrorist”, for example, melds together some great death metal and grinding moments.
It’s the death metal that really ties this album together more than anything. It’s the core of the entire record. See, compared to Impetigo’s earlier discography, Horror of the Zombies was a moodier, heavier album. “Breakfast at the Manchester Morgue (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie)” pushes the album through blasts, solos, punching heavy bits, and slower, more morbid sections. This album really pushed the band’s sound in the best way. “I Work For the Streetcleaner” was a fantastic blender as well, also kicking off with a long introduction.
There were also some more straightforward songs like “Cannibal Lust” with its awesome thrashy intro and push right into some straight up old-school grind. Yeah, it’s only two-minutes but it’s pure straight forward rage. Like a hungry charging zombie. “Defiling the Grave” follows suite as well, destroying and dismembering.
It’s a sad day in the horror world and it’s going to continue to be, as the horror scene will never be the same again. Somehow, no one could quite make a zombie flick like Romero, no matter how hard they tried. Impetigo kinda got the same thing going on: Horror of the Zombies is a classic piece of death metal/grindcore. And it’s hard to imagine the band ever writing a better album. So, throw this beast on and have yourself a zombie marathon. Because there’s no better (or worse?) day to feel like a zombie than a Monday.
