Fulci - Opening the Hell Gates (Reissue)

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Although not recognized as it deserves (and as the other Metal genres made in the country), the Italian extreme Metal scene always brings to the world some surprises, since the days when BULLDOZER started to make ears bleed back in the middle of the 80’s. And the trio FULCI, from Caserta, Campania, comes to brutalize the ears of the fans with the reissue of “Opening the Hell Gates” on a remastered version.

Their music is a sick and oppressive form of Brutal Death Metal with influences from CANNIBAL CORPSE, AUTOPSY, MORTICIAN and INCANTATION. So be prepared to many extreme moments with nasty low grunts contrasting with piggish screams, low tuned riffs and a massive set of rhythms from bass guitar and drums. Of course, as a first album, the band showed in those days (2015, to be exact) that they needed to evolve a bit more, because they were still crude beyond the right point. Ando is the one who worked with the band on the recording, mixing, and engineering of “Opening the Hell Gate”, and the final result is a massive and oppressive sonority, but still too crude and extreme for their work. Obviously, such Death Metal genre needs something that can’t be extremely clear and defined, but such extreme approach isn’t the best as well.

For those that are into such extreme ways, “Opening the Hell Gates” will have a very good appeal, as can be heard on the nasty and brutal impact of “Premature Sepoltura”, the massive weight of “Among the Walking Dead” (good work on the rhythms and guitars), the harsh screams of “Feeding the Undead” and “Gore Life” (but some not so extreme guttural grunts would fit in a better way), the brutal grasp of the guitars on “Opening the Hell Gates”, that are the best ones. But their personal version for “Death by Metal” (it seems a revision of the same song from DEATH, but in a very different way) can’t be left aside.

“Opening the Hell Gates” is a good release, but such a reissue seems to give the fans a new chance of getting the album (because the original release was on 2015). But it gives the idea that FULCI had a long way to go from that moment, but they have talent.

Songwriting: 6
Musicianship: 7
Memorability: 6
Production: 6