This split CD released on Japan’s Amputated Vein Records will surely make some heads turn, or better said simply cut off, that is. The home of PSYCHOFAGIST is Novara, located in the north west of Italy. According to the info sheet they used to play Thrash / Death Metal under the name of BEDEVILED – the original line up featured the drummer Grom who now is active in ANCIENT. Anyway, with their name they also left that style behind and headed for a far more brutal direction. After a short and dark echoing intro the two masterminds ‘Cello "Wrath" and Steph unleash a vicious onslaught of fast and raging technical Death Metal massacre upon the unsuspecting listener. The songs are really packed and intricate with lots of breaks, accompanied by slapped bass parts and quite complex drumming. As the band was without a skinsman at that time all patterns have been programmed – which must have been an awful lot of work! NECROPHAGIST’s debut may give you hint on that as the quality is similar, fortunately with a better sound! In fact, the drum computer sounds more natural than many triggered plastic – can productions of today. The hectic riffing is not entirely made up of jazz – avantgardism (there are several technical scale runnings up and down the frets) like it is executed by the unparelleled GORGUTS but bristling with skill, some old school elments shine through. Hm, at first listen the band gave me a similar feeling like LIERS IN WAIT, but they have a very own innovative style and act more focused. On top of that blur of brutality both madmen deliver their screams and growls in a pleasingly raw way in different tones. I wonder about their lyrics as titles like ‘Asphyxiating Harmony’ (good description) or ‘Bygone Genesis’ sound fairly interesting. So, after PSYCHOFAGIST devoured your mind, pulled you up on hooks while carving intricate designs of lunacy on your skin you are ready for a sledgehammer shock treatment: HYBRID VISCERY. These four Belgians from Brussels went for this split release after two demos and deliver blasting Death / Grind that should appeal to all fans of early CRYPTOPSY, being a little bit less melodic. Damn, the snare drum sounds almostly exactly as the one on "Blasphemy Made Flesh". Brutal stuff executed in a convincing manner and tightly played! Between the songs you get to hear some movie samples from "Full Metal Jacket", if I am not mistaken. The guttural grunts and high shrieks don’t tell something war – related but seem to deal with the classic Gore / Grind topics, ‘Cannibal Theories’, for example. All in all a great release with two great sounding bands, even the booklet is nicely layouted – some sort of screaming person obscured by darkness in shades of earth – toned colours, the colour of old blood, hehe! It should be available from most underground mailorders and is also available directly from the bands themselves for 12 € – make sure to contact them first. Contact PSYCHOFAGIST: Stefano Ferrian, Via Sforzesca 2/F, 28100 Novara, Italy, email: coffinfeeder@tin.it or Marcello Sarino, Via Nova 10/A, 28069 Trecate (NO), Italy, email: psychordoom@interfree.it, Website: www.psychofagist.cjb.net . Contact HYBRID VISCERY: c/o Karl Penning, Rue des Renards 26/3, 6534 Gootee, Belgium, email: thefastandgrind@hotmail.com, Website: www.hybrid-viscery.be.tf. Label contact: www.amputatedvein.com . By now PSYCHOFAGIST found a new drummer in the person of Stefano from BASTARD SAINTS… we shall see… By the way: Yan "Doomyan" Rosiers from HYBRID VISCERY also works as a webdesigner, you might like to check his homepage at: www.doomyan.com.