VICIOUS ART

The music of VICIOUS ART's "Pick up this Sick Child" sounds like the album cover looks: blood spattered, diseased, and just plain nasty. And yes, one could not have come up with a more fitting name for the act. Formed in 2003 and previously releasing the "Fire Falls and the Waiting Waters" debut full length (2004) and the "Weed the Wild" EP (2006),VICIOUS ART counts among its membership former members of GRAVE, DARK FUNERAL, and ENTOMBED. That's a heavyweight list of veterans of the brutal stuff, which is no surprise when one listens to "Pick up this Sick Child".

Combining the sickening lyrical fare and a bit of the gnarly musicality of BLOODBATH with the cracking groove of ENTOMBED, VICIOUS ART brings to the table a powerful 11-track collection of tunes that are as face melting as they are catchy. The grooves on this bitch are out of this world. Fat, crispy riffs and an absolutely pummeling rhythm section are but two of the highlights of the disc. "The Paulina Paw Paintings" is most representative of the band's ability to crush with the weight of a tank division and get the neck snapping with eminently memorable guitar lines and arrangement shifts. Songs such as "Our Family Flesh" and "We're Both into Killing Me" feature choruses that immediately imbed in the brain. Vocalist Jocke Widfeldt sports a frightening snarl, making it impossible to ignore his maniacal approach. The guitars of Tobe Sillman and Matti Mäkelä are incredibly sharp, even ear piercing. Get too close and you'll lose a limb, trust me. The tones are perfect for the style and the instrument clarity is outstanding as well.

"Pick up this Sick Child" is one of those death metal albums that can satisfy lovers of extreme sonic malevolence, old-school, Swedish-style death metal, and those that desire some tunefulness with their ferocity. VICIOUS ART have written what is sure to be their watershed release and it would be a crime for any fan to miss out on it. It's still early in the year, but "Pick up this Sick Child" will easily end up one of my favorite death metal releases of 2008, and there have been some monster DM albums released this year. It doesn't get much better. Highly, highly recommended.