Colpocleisis // Elegant Degradation // Album Review

The kings of the UK slamming death metal are back!

Colpocleisis is here with a much-needed slab of brutal, dark & twisted brutal death metal.

Elegant Degradation is the follow-up to “Fallopian Fallout”, the band’s 2017 debut & also the group’s newest material since 2020’s “Human Dignity Violated” EP.

Since the band’s formation in 2014, they have been among the most hardworking bands in the UK brutal death metal scene. Playing big shows like Bloodstock and Euro fests like Nice To Eat You in England. Known for being one of the tightest & most prolific live bands currently in the BDM realm.

“Elegant Degradation” is also the band’s first album with vocalist Jon Burr (Omnipotent Hysteria RIP) & drummer Lewis Candlin (Chainsaw Castration).

“Degrade” slowly echoes the album like a pulverising hammer.

A simple caveman intro to the album that off the bat shows you what “Elegant Degradation” has in store for you. As Burr’s low intestinal growls groan “Degrade… Decay”, you can already tell the band’s theme & style is much darker, chaotic & just downright filthier on this album.

A live track i was lucky to hear at Bloodstock “Discumblobulated” is a straight-to-the-point bludgeoning track, Bassist Joe Mortimer his fantastic fingerwork shines on this album & the first highlight of his technical ability show here. A thick but punchy piano wire bass sound clangs through the track adding that percussive layer that keeps the band standing out!

The band are really starting to mix it up on tracks like “Toxoplasmosis”. A perfect merge of Disgorge & Epicardiectomy

But also adding goregrind elements with drumming from Candlin also featuring some great disgusting vocals at the track’s closing. This one is a real blur of genres but a great surprise to hear!

“Evangenital Obliteration” which features Mat Davies & Jake Gamble from 357 Homicide (a great band check them out) is another track that feels like the band’s next step in evolution. More chaotic, frantic & darkened. This may sound strange for a brutal death metal band but it feels like Colpocleisis have found their sound & are carving it even more. This track is also frenetic with three vocalists all over it, giving it a slightly hardcore meets hip-hop vibe I’m in love with.

When it comes to the killer track on the album it’s got to be “Flagellating At The Slab”. Feeling very much a homage to Devourment & the first few slamming brutal death metal bands from the late 90’s / early 00’s this might be the most stripped back & “simple” track on the album but damn it’s hard hitting. It’s great to see the band can switch up styles & songwriting mindsets to create effective hard hitting tracks like this.

Also featuring my favourite vocal performance from Burr, his long drawn out growl before the last breakdown hits is killer. That end section is gonna cause some broken bones i tell you!

Heading near the end of the album “Do Not Resuscitate” feels like one of the darkest tracks on the album. Not only thematically but also the sonics feel more compressed, sharper & hardest hitting then anything on the album. Candlin gets to show off his ridiculously impressive double bass skills on this track & his best performance I’ve heard with the band to date.

Closing out the album with “Decay” feels like a perfect reprise, including the same opening riff in album opener “Degrade” feels like a perfect book end. As Burr lets out a putrid “Erase” reverberating in the listeners ears the album comes to a brutal end.

“Elegant Degradation” is a grotesque, monstrous & disgusting album in all the best ways. But deep down it feels like Colpocleisis have now cemented their trademark own brand of slam & death metal. Creating a signature sound that flows brilliantly through this album & one of the most distinctive BDM albums for some time!

Joseph Mitchell

Elegant Degradation Is Out Via Reality Fade Records On March 3rd 2023