Deceased - Surreal Overdose

Drugs are fun. If you disagree or are one of those militant straightedge dipshits (like those people who go out of their way to prove it to others), then get the hell out. Luckily most people aren't like this, straightedge or otherwise - and they shouldn't discount trying Deceased's Surreal Overdose. As a band that's been around since '85, these guys are lucky to have a sound that still hasn't aged. They take death/thrash and inject a bit of horror into the mold, and it was great on their 2011 release.

The music on Surreal Overdose is pretty seamless with the thrash side of things taking dominance, especially on pit-stompers "Off-Kilter," "Kindred Assembly," and "The Traumatic." Like a healthy take of hallucinogens, each track slowly evolves into something pleasingly different as they bounce along. The bass is extremely prominent and plods along to every riff, each passage being speedy as thrash tends to be. The solos are also another highlight but not in the traditional sense. They don't stand out, but they compliment the tracks perfectly and add another layer to the mix.

Surreal Overdose is a big helping of fast-paced enjoyment. Other than the vocals there's not much to complain about, and even then the vocals are relatively easy to get used to. They're somewhere in the awkward range of not being guttural or gritty enough to be death metal and not being as melodic or as shouty as thrash metal. Another minor complaint is that "Skin Crawling Progress" while a great opener is a bit overlong, and "Dying In Analog" seems a bit overlong at times, but it unlike the former it does a good job of concluding the album. I have no complaints otherwise about Surreal Overdose that shows these oldbies still got a lot of life left.

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Skin Crawling Progress
2.	Kindred Assembly
3.	The Traumatic
4.	Cloned (Day of the Robot)
5.	Off-Kilter
6.	In the Laboratory of Joyous Gloom
7.	A Doom-Laden Aura
8.	Dying in Analog

buh-leted