UMUR
"Gut Wrench" is a pre-studio album EP release by US death metal act Deceased. The EP was released by Relapse Records in 1991. Originally only on limited 7 inch vinyl but it´s been reissued on CD later on. Deceased were formed in 1985 and released several demos before being signed to Relapse Records for this release. They are widely regarded as one of the seminal US death metal acts.
The EP features 3 tracks distributed over a 8:41 minutes long playing time. "Planet Graveyard" is a studio track recorded in 1989, while "Gut Wrench" and "After the Bloodshed" are recorded live at two different shows in 1990 and 1991. The music on all three tracks are old school death metal with more than a few nods towards the most raw eighties thrash. Judging from these three tracks Deceased weren´t the most original band around in those days, but they sure play their music with great energy and conviction.
The sound quality on both the studio recording and the live tracks aren´t that exciting if you´re not a fan of raw, distorted and just above bootleg quality recordings. For the time the recordings are decent though. "Gut Wrench" is a good insight to how US death metal sounded around 1989 - 1991, but it´s not exactly a release that makes my blood boil and I´d say a 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating isn´t all wrong.