Deceased has a special place in their extreme metal habitat for one important reason: King Fowley and crew have never released anything irksome or unacceptable. Their following has been small, but there is not one metal band worthy of more respect and dignity than Deceased. Case closed. As usual, the American horror squad sends chimes of gloom and doom throughout "Surreal Overdose," which is only surreal in its substantial value. The musical frontier is far from illusory, as Deceased once again restarts the prototypical thrashy death metal that has defined this classic band's legendary efforts. Loaded with hooks and colossal riffing, "Surreal Overdose" sends a stern message to all the pseudo-death metal bands trying to be something they clearly aren't: you better leave the throne room immediately, because the King and crew still rule this horrific kingdom.Deceased shocks the death/thrash metal blueprint with clear overdubs of traditional metal completely back to life, making it look like they never took a prolonged pause between "Surreal Overdose" and the amazing "As The Weird Travel on," another keeper. Everything from the twisted "Skin-Crawling Progress" to the dueling melodies throughout "Cloned" shows amazing song writing abilities; each track gushes with a plethora of fantastic, ravage riffs, Fowley's grinding yelps, energetic percussion and solos that crack like a million whips. Fowley sounds better than ever, as his trademark vocals diligently erode through the metallic malevolence excellently. The production, although incredibly rich and vivid, will not make longtime fans recoil in horror; the instruments are balanced dynamically below Fowley's primitive wails and it makes for a wonderful sound overall.
Being completely serious, we need to find the gentlemen of Deceased and arrest them, because I'm pretty sure they have too many awesome riffs here. Each and every riff exhales the odor of ripping trashiness, yet given a swell shade of old-school heavy metal just for good measure. Even better, not one song lacks an arsenal of these amazing cuts, making for a monumental listening experience. Plus, there are more incredible guitar solos than Yngwie Malmsteen on speed; just another reason to love this fantastic band and their violent music. Don't bother finding a favorite song, because you'll love them all; some are catchy, others frenzied and ravenous, but "Surreal Overdose" keeps the theme of consistent, butchering metal at the forefront, no matter what direction Deceased travels on.
Leave it to Deceased to come back and totally annihilate the competition with such a shocking, thunderous, bloodcurdling display of authentic, bone-chipping metal. "Surreal Overdose" is an absolute juggernaut of a release. No jokes, no gimmicks, no frills, no trends. Needless to say, Deceased is proudly at the top of the hill here; they remain real and totally loyal to primitive death metal, but instrumentally at a new peak of brilliance and savageness. In fact, you may need to set up a rehab stint after experiencing this intoxicating collection of poisonous furiousness. Overall, "Surreal Overdose" is the kind of album that will make you love metal again.