ARTIST: Blight House+ ALBUM: Summer Camp Sex Party Massacre + LABEL: Nefarious Industries + RELEASE DATE: AUG 03, 2018
“What the fuck is this shit?!?” Those were the first thoughts running through my mind on my maiden spin of Rhode Island death/gore lunatics Blight House’s Summer Camp Sex Party Massacre. Categorizing the band as death metal is merely a convenient reference point. This isn’t death metal. This is the soundtrack for the most brutal horror film you’ve never seen. Indeed, the album title alone is what first sparked my interest. But, if you think this is going to be a fun romp through the woods as you’re chased by a faceless slasher, you’re wrong. You’re dead wrong.
Though only clocking in at 24-minutes across 10 songs, the material here feels longer. It’s definitely an experience. Claustrophobic, merciless, blasphemous, Summer Camp Sex Party Massacre sounds like instruments are being tortured in the process of recording the songs. Songs like “Moms Away” and “The Warriors Have Come” tip the scales in favor brutality versus musicality. Drums are often louder than the guitars as they pummel tirelessly against atypical guitar parts. Indeed, there’s not a whole lot of guitar riffs, rather the guitars are a hot noisy mess that seem to create a cohesive rhythm with the drums. The vocals are the low, guttural growls familiar to the genre, though they truly sound like they’re sung by a maniac embarking on a kill crazy rampage. “You Deserve This” is closer to what I originally anticipated when I thought I knew what I was getting into. A little more guitar driven, but the lead guitar work is obtuse and contradictory to what 90% of guitarists would bring to the table. The vocals on this track are fascinating. Listening to it a few times, I wasn’t sure if that was an actual person singing or if I was hearing some other effect.
Many songs begin with a spoken word sample of someone speaking about murder or satanism, which actually adds a little levity to the overall intensity of the album. “Immacualte Rejection” is among the stand out tracks that I would recommend to someone who has never heard of the band. Blackened death at its finest, “Immaculate Rejection” should garner the band some attention. And holy shit, the guitars are fairly melodic on this track. The drums never give you an ounce of room to breathe. “Decrepit Phallic Monuments,” “Feeding Time,” and “Follow Your Leader (Kill Yourself)” follow in this vein: psychotic vocals, samples of a woman screaming in terror (or pain), and a genuine cacophony of piercing guitars and rollicking drums that melt together in a giant pot of demented sound that won’t just frighten your parents, but anyone in earshot of your stereo.
I can’t imagine I will ever listen to this album for the pleasure of the music it contains. However, I would love to see these dudes live. I can only imagine it’s a spectacle to behold, eardrums be damned. If what I’ve described here sounds like it’s up your alley, you’re sick in the head. But, you will love Summer Camp Sex Party Massacre. Just please stay away from the cutlery.
– J. Kevin Lynch
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