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Search on eBay... Buy on Half.com Impaled Death After Life (2005) Century Media HMM Rank:   I have had nothing but good experiences with this band ever since I heard of them. First they impressed me with their Dead Shall Dead Remain album, and then continued to work their way up the best band of the genre list by kicking my ass with a live performance and meet-and-greet at Milwaukee Metalfest. By the way, the ass-kicking only applies to the performance, not the meet-and-greet. They were all great guys, and it was very obvious after talking to them that they have a great deal of fun making music, which is very evident on their newest release (and Century Media debut), Death After Life. Whether it's catchy (yet still brutal) riffs, melodic leads, or borderline comical lyrics, Impaled always find a way to stand out from the rest of the gore-grind pack. They pull off that uniqueness once again with this album by doing something that many thought could only be done by progressive rock bands: they made a concept album. More specifically, the most sickening concept album I've ever heard. The story appears to be about a team of psychopathic doctors who bring dead people back to life, which provided a much needed break from the overload of songs about 9/11 and terrorism that have been plaguing my ears lately. Anyway, on to the album. The album starts off with the cleverly titled "Goreverture", which is a minute long introduction to the album that leads into the pummeling "Mondo Medicale". While rather short, the song still sets the tone for the rest of the album, and lets you know that you are in for a brutal ride. All of the things that impressed me on Dead Shall Dead Remain are still very prominent on this album. The riffs actually sound thought out as opposed to the "let's just play as fast as we can" feel that most other bands in the genre are accustomed to, and the occasional melodic, Carcass-esque leads (as well as vocals) are nice treats that add to the overall unique sound that Impaled manage to create in a genre of sound-a-likes. Alright, fine... you can argue that Impaled sound a little too much like Carcass to heap tons of uniqueness points on them. I agree with that to a certain extent, but the main point that I'm trying to make is that this band managed to catch my attention and impress me despite the fact that they are part of a genre full of bands that would be lucky to get a one-star review out of me. If you're already a fan of this band, then you need to stop reading, click the little "x" in the upper right corner of the screen, go out and buy this album. If you haven't heard them yet, give them a try. Even if gore-grind isn't exactly your cup of tea, give this album a spin. If you like it, pick up their earlier work as well. Whether you're a fan of the genre or not, this band deserves your attention. -- Bill McGuiness Reviewed 06/13/2005 Track Listing 1 Gorverture 1:10 2 Mondo Medicale 2:36 3 Gutless 4:15 4 Theatre of Operations 0:49 5 Preservation of Death 5:15 6 Wrought In Hell 4:50 7 Resurrectionists 4:07 8 Critical Condition 0:46 9 The Dead Shall Dead Remain 4:41 10 Medical Waste 6:44 11 Dead Alive 5:11 12 Coda Morte 1:43 Official Impaled Website ©2005 Harvest Moon Music