IMPALED - Death After Life CD

2025 re-issue.

It's not often that one finds a humorous gore death metal band. Impaled has captured all of the intensity of previous albums, while adding more medical humor. No, this time around it's not jokes about pooping. The remarks on this album are very sarcastic about trying to live forever, and the results of that ambition. Ok, humor aside, on to the music.
This is a very accessible gore album. First off I'll say it, I'm not a fan of most gore bands. The music is just too muted, low key, and not interesting. Impaled smashes down this barrier, and thrashes into fine form. The riffs are very reminscent of prime thrash. This may be due to the production. This album, unlike most death metal, is very finely produced. The vocals are the usual squelch, the guitars are perfectly mixed, the drums are excellent. Although this would sound like normal gore death, the production keeps it accessible. I don't remember which review I read that used "cartoony production" but it seems to fit. So thank you, whoever you are for that line.
The lyrical concept of this album is very good: what happens when four "medical school drop-outs" try to find a cure for death. The album goes through until the medical students realize their failure, or did they? Listen to the album or read the lyrics to find out...
This album alone sparked my interest in many other gore bands. I would recommend this album to fans of General Surgery, Haemmorhage, and fans of Impaled's earlier work.