Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Reelase date: March 14th, 2025
Another quite young band, formed in 2014, coming from California is Cartilage. Their place of origin, I mean home-city now, is associated with thrash metal and a specific way of playing this music as well. But Cartilage is living proof not everyone in San Francisco plays the same. But can it be the case if in the city over eight hundred thousand people live? Of course, it can’t be! Anyway, “Tales…” is the sixth ever stuff in the band’s disgusting career. At the same time this EP is a debut in some way. I mean, that’s the first stuff released only by a label. This label is Italian Everlasting Spew Records. You know, so far, all their items have been released at least, some of them – totally, partly independently by the band. It’s also the first, in my opinion unfortunately, contact with their creativity for me. But as soon as this writing ends, I’ll correct this mistake by listening to both of their albums and other stuff as soon as possible!
I need to do it also because “Tales…” contains only five tracks, which means a little less, eleven seconds, then twelve minutes. Well, we’re able to listen to four songs, because the first one is exactly what its title suggests. And this in turn means nothing less than that I feel very dissatisfied. That’s why I need to put “repeat bottom” on my screen to enjoy, this is surely one more proof I’m crazy, these sounds, what’s a little annoying. And we all know very well what sounds we’re dealing here with, because artwork and even a logo says everything. Therefore, as disturbed individuals as I am read this review. And if so, they don’t need any, even superficial, analyzes and even more colorful descriptions. We all know what such creativity is about and it’s absolutely unnecessary to waste time doing such things, doesn’t it? I know I probably should do this to be a real journalist. But I can’t see the slightest reason to do it. After all, no random people read these words, so…
This doesn’t mean, of course, I’ll not give you any signposts telling you what to expect. Yeah, the cover message, even if we somehow don’t consider the word “gore”, is as clear as a sun in my opinion. But since even that particular kind of our beloved muse is quite wide, then I guess I’ll torture you for a while with my awful thoughts on it. So, let’s go! Both the length and structure of the songs tell us that death metal plays a very important role to these madmen, including a girl. At the same time, I hear very clearly, especially in drumming and vocalizations as well, the huge influences of grindcore, or to be more precise goregrind. To make a long story short, the creativity of San Francisco’s inhabitants is nothing original when we’re talking about death/grind. That’s also deeply rooted in the nineties, even if most of the ensembles I associate Cartilage debuted, with their full-length albums, at the turn of XX and XXI centuries. Basically, only a certain Spanish one whose first album is “Emetic Cult”, did it in the middle of the nineties. And, as those of you who read my scribbles for a long time know very well, I didn’t mention this band by accident or so. I just, somehow, hear here big similarities to Caslada’s horde. Of course, your opinion can be otherwise. I’m actually sure a lot of you will list other names after consumption of this piece of bloody meat.
Anyway, Teresa takes care not only of guitar but also backing vocals. Her growling method and even voice timbre gives rise to associations with certain Goddesses of the genre. Who do I mean? Well, I somehow can’t imagine there’s even one real fan of death and grind’s mix who doesn’t know what person from Phoenix I’m talking about, even if I know her band is, for some magic and totally unknown reasons, highly underrated. That’s everything that I wanted to write. So, feel free to contact the band or label to buy “Tales from the Entrails: A Necrology” in the format you prefer – CD or digital one!
