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MOLDER
Engrossed In Decay

Prosthetic (2022)
Rating: 7.5/10

Engrossed In Decay is the second full-length album from Illinois tribe Molder, and as expected it continues to mash together the filthy drudgery of Carcass with an Obituary-styled vocal sneer.

Molder has always been less swampy than a lot of bands doing the rounds, but they remain a rather silted experience built upon very catchy riffs, as showcased on opening slab ‘Glutinous Remains’ which trudges then gallops along nicely through those pestilent pastures.

The title track exudes filth in its opening fuzziness, the combo splendidly lumbering in vintage doomed-up fashion before shifting through the gears to become a slightly punked-up Obituary-cum-Autopsy without any pretence. And by the third track, ‘Relentless Pestilence’, it’s quite clear that Molder is not here to perform party tricks but instead serve up a meat, potatoes and innards menu that rattles when it needs to, and stodgily plods when it has to as well.

The likes of ‘Disinhumed Carcass Revived’, ‘Huff The Stench’ and ‘Ghastly Mutation’ feel and sound familiar. After all, it is old school-inspired death metal with a riveting, engrossing ooze, but it’s neither break-neck fast or slow to the point of audible and oral suffocation. So it could be stated that Molder finds a good balance without ever having to traipse through its own murky, maggot-infested excrement.

However, I wouldn’t call it slick or polished either. ‘Decomposed Embryos’ feels nasty and squalid in its gloomy tone and ‘Chemically Dissolved’ is musically macabre with its morbid, aching heaving. But in today’s often bewildering and soggy spectrum of the genre, Engrossed In Decay actually feels quite normal and I’m not sure if I’m refreshed by it, or just tapping along for comfort.

Even with the speedier passages of tracks such as ‘Chemically Dissolved’ there is a dehydrated charm to Aaren Pantke’s warbles, but musically it does get a bit by-numbers at times. Even so, it’s a solid death metal record I’m more than happy to support and become at one with the mangled mossiness of the album cover.

Neil Arnold

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