Track Listing:
01. Cut off Heads
02. Impunity
03. Feels Like Spew Forth
04. Sexual Blasphemy Purification
05. Political Sodomy Kamasutra
06. Let You Die
07. Freaks From the Other Side
08. Putrid Human Dejection
09. We Deserve Extermination
10. Mortuary Soul
11. Brutal Awakening
12. Visceral Extortion Artwork

Rated:
7.5/10

Total Play Time:
41:28

Bands Webpage

”The Dark Side of Mankind” is the hyper-brutal debut album by French tech-death/grind maniacs Spiritual Dissection. Self-released back in 2004, “The Dark Side of Mankind” is an absolute explosion of blinding speed and insane technicality much in the vein of Cryptopsy and Necrophagist, though perhaps even faster than either. The album was recorded sans drummer when the band was but a trio though it seems that they’ve since acquired one. Never been a fan of mechanical percussion in metal myself, but it must be said that the drum programming on “ The Dark Side of Mankind” is undoubtedly the most skillful I’ve ever encountered, and the individual drum tones don’t sound overly synthetic. It will be interesting to see if the new human drummer will be able to keep up the astonishingly quick tempo blasts on tracks like “Mortuary Soul” and “Brutal Awakening.”

The songs here are unbelievably intricate and highly detailed, with multiple time shifts and dense layers of schizophrenic malevolence. The listening sensation can definitely be a bit overwhelming and the tracks, at times, seem to blend together, but the sheer talent required to compose and deliver metal of this type and caliber is beyond admirable. This style of death metal is certainly not for all tastes, but fans of tech-death and ultra-brutal death metal will be overjoyed. It is truly a mystery that Spiritual Dissection remain unsigned, and if I were Relapse, I wouldn’t wait too much longer.