Contaminated – Celebratory Beheading (Review)

This is the second album from Contaminated, an Australian death metal band.

Having enjoyed 2014’s Pestilential Decay, 2017’s Final Man, and 2019’s split with Kutabare, I almost missed Celebratory Beheading when it appeared on my promo pile due to the different style of artwork. Yes, I’m apparently that easily confused! I’m glad I took a second look though, as it’s great to catch up with what Contaminated are up to these days.

Contaminated deliver 40 minutes of disgustingly foul death metal carnage, and it’s gloriously nasty.

Celebratory Beheading deals in filth-encrusted riffs, decaying blast beats, and hideous menacing rhythms. Contaminated have developed their killing art since Final Man though, and Celebratory Beheading takes the band’s unhealthy death metal, sharpens it to a lethal point, and cuts deep into the flesh. The music is harsh and grim, presenting as ancient death metal foulness enhanced with a powerfully solid presence. The production of the record lends Contaminated a strength that allows the music’s innate malevolent heaviness to come to the fore, despite retaining an underground dirtiness that’s abrasive, yet endearing. Celebratory Beheading is simply crushing.

This is the sort of death metal I can just inject straight into my veins. It’s old-school, yet timeless. Packed with satisfying brutality, numberless riffs, and a serrated heaviness that lacerates as much as it pummels, this is jolly good stuff. Not to mention those world-swallowing vocals that just seem to stuck in all light, (courtesy of a different singer this time) . Not only this though, but there a few different creative choices spread out over Celebratory Beheading that elevate it further. One such example is the unexpectedly engaging late-middle section of the otherwise punishing Cosmic Shit Show. Yep, Contaminated clearly know what they’re doing.

Celebratory Beheading is the sort of death metal album that just keeps on giving. It goes about its grisly work with focus, attention, and a passion for bloodshed. Contaminated’s return is a most welcome one, and this is a record that adherents of the style should really be blasting out for the rest of the year.