Band:	Subhuman
Album:	Profondo Rozzo
Style:	Death metal, Thrash metal
Release date:	August 2009

01. Profondo Rozzo
02. Nata Troia
03. Trenta Denari
04. Mafia
05. Odio Chiama Odio
06. Babbo Fatale
07. Il Bersagliere Ha 100 Penne
08. Infamia & Potere
09. 1110 Giorni

(Thrashy) Death metal
Recorded: Studio 73, Italy 2008
Label: Maple Metal Records
Total Running Time: 35:35


Imagine. You're getting sexually abused, in all sorts of unconventional ways. Whilst hanging on a big rusty meat hook through your back. In a Texas Chainsaw Massacre-like basement. By a gang of big naked muscular men. Who're all wearing bloody, freshly chopped-off goat heads. And who all have a huge Sigil of Baphomet tattooed on their hairy chests. The only thing missing is the gang humming ritual chants. Instead, they could just as easily put on this CD. Filth, blasphemy, pornography, butchery and horror. It's all here.

Bay Area Thrash my ass. The info sheet accompanying this album sounded in fact pretty promising. Subhuman - an Italian band, inspired by early Bay Area legends - is considered to be "one of the best bands" to rise up from Italy's flourishing Thrash Metal underground movement. Or so the sheet claims. Fooled again. This debut is a ponderous death metal album with a few thrash influences at best, nowhere near Bay Area Thrash. Then again, we should have suspected something. For one, with our moderate knowledge of the Italian language, we should have figured out "Profondo Rozzo" means "Deeply Rough", even "Deeply Rude". And with our moderate knowledge of the mid-seventies Italian cult film, we all should have remembered "Profondo Rosso" is a horror movie, starring extreme violence in the leading role.

Cruel, cruel love. So deeply rough it is indeed. Just like a M2 machine gun, Subhuman are firing violently energetic songs at the listener in quick succession. The brand of death metal played on the Profondo Rozzo record is raw. Incredibly raw. Even the third degree burn wounds of a freshly un-bandaged victim who narrowly survived a fierce orphanage fire over four weeks ago, cannot be as raw as this music. The kind of brute album that will kick your ass so hard you'll be shitting boots in the upcoming weeks. The kind of album that is aggressive enough, harsh enough and relentless enough to warm the hearts of the most merciless death metal maniacs.

My only bad comment. Too bad the lyrics are entirely in Italian - even our moderate knowledge of the Italian language won't do this time. Apparently they talk about serial killers accidentally going to heaven, amateur pornstars, the betrayal of Judas, dog fights as seen by the dog's point of view and perverts dressing up as Santa Claus. Exactly the kind of bed stories you would want to tell your little cousin.

Final verdict. Profondo Rozzo turned out to be a frantic, even vulgar though at all times well-thought debut album. Whoever said thrashy death metal couldn't be entertaining should have a listen at this release. When you do, get ready to bang your head... hard.