Bludgeoned by Deformity is a new musical quintet comprised of musicians who have also played in such bands as Pig Destroyer, Sanguisugabogg, Jivebomb, and Rejoice.
Their forthcoming debut EP, Epoch of Immorality, finds guitarists Bradon Studebaker and Andre Pickens, vocalist Devin Swank, bassist Ethan Buttery, and drummer drummer Adam Jarvis bringing forth a sound that should bring a huge smile to the face of any fan of mid-1990s/early-2000s East Coast-style death metal:
Speaking of their sound, Bludgeoned by Deformity guitarist Bradon Studebaker put together a list for No Echo's Our Biggest Influences series to pay tribute to some of the bands and records that helped inspire the material on Epoch of Immortality.
Thanks, Bradon!
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Defeated Sanity, Disposal of the Dead (2016)
"It’s difficult for me to pick a record by Defeated Sanity that is my favorite, but I think this record for now takes the top spot for me with Chapters of Repugnance being a close second. Disposal of the Dead contains some of the most extreme tone and mixing that has been achieved yet to me and some of the most unusual rhythms that you can find, especially in the context of a brutal death metal record.
"The kick, guitar, and bass combine together into one whole sound with the snare poking out in a very compelling way. The lack of audibility in some senses contributes to this record feeling almost trance-like across the board and inspires me every time I listen to it."
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Gaza, I Don’t Care Where I Go When I Die (2006)
"Dissonance is one of my favorite aspects of extreme music, and Gaza is the main inspiration for me in that realm. The repetitive, droning parts paired with chaotic and unpredictable rhythms make for one of my favorite and most inspirational records.
"As with Defeated Sanity, the lack of an obvious key being traded wholly for chromaticism and dissonance make parts that do fit into more traditional melodic sensibilities feel even more powerful.
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Skinless, Swollen Heaps (1995)
"Swollen Heaps is certainly my favorite demo of all time without a doubt. Skinless has been a huge influence on me since my teenage years. The recording aesthetic of this record, the tempos, and the samples all form what is a perfect listen to me. I think what makes Skinless one of my favorite bands of all time is the level of brutality they achieve without relying solely on blasting and extreme tempos.
"I find the syncopated bounce riffs and more open sections achieving what early Cryptopsy did for me — something wholly of its own as death metal pulled away from thrash and truly became its own genre with its own vocabulary."
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Pyrexia, Hatred Anger and Disgust (1995)
"As Swollen Heaps is my favorite demo, this is my all-time favorite EP. A perfect blend of Long Island metallic hardcore, brutal death metal, and also incredible sampling and sound design. This EP certainly accomplishes my favorite blend of mosh riffs and BDM riffs."
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Cryptopsy , None So Vile (1996)
"I am a massive fan of a release of any harsh genre that feels like it is pushing so hard it may fall apart at the seams, and this is the greatest example of that to me. With studio technology in a relatively primitive state compared to today, it is a marvel to me that this album was even achieved in the mid-'90s.
"Beyond iconic samples and riffs, this record also has some incredibly underrated melodic moments to me, especially as seen in the song 'Phobophile.'"
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Suffocation, Suffocation (2006)
"Being one of my Top 10 favorite bands of all time, it is extremely difficult for me to pick a single Suffo record as the band as a whole is deep in my DNA as a musician at this point, but this album has been particularly resonant with me as of late.
"I find this to be the sweet spot in some ways with production on a Suffocation record, merging 2000s tightness with '90s rawness. The guitar tone is a real stand out to me and I find the pacing of the record and the drumming to be perfect. We owe a lot to every member of Suffocation and what they did for the genre."
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Devourment, Obscene Majesty (2019)
"I find this to be possibly the heaviest record of all time. The guitar tuning and tone, the drum tuning and tone, the vocal performance and mixing: it is all perfect and wholly unique. I think any band has yet to follow up to this record in particular and think it is such a fascinating growth from a band that has pioneered so much and existed for so long.
"There is a COVID-era video of them performing a good number of these songs in a live session and I have probably watched it no less than 100 times."
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Deeds of Flesh, Inbreeding the Anthropophagi
"This is another band that is difficult to select one record for. As I have grown as a musician and guitar player, this is a band I am eager to include more influence from in further releases with Bludgeoned. Early Deeds is so unapologetically brutal and fast, and I love the awful aquatic sloshing samples on this record. So much of it from the music to the art is so uncomfortable in such an alien way.
"This is another band I have spent countless hours watching live videos of to study how the greats did it. They are certainly one of them."
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Meshuggah, Destroy Erase Improve (1995)
"This record is kind of the Bible to me of groove and dissonance in a novel way. Meshuggah is probably one of the most ripped off bands of all time but I often find bands trying to incorporate their influence to be doing it in a cheap and bastardizing manner.
"This record is fascinating on both the macro and micro level, with every second being interesting to me as well as the record as a whole flowing so masterfully with extremely cool choices being made to break up the aggression."
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Brodequin, Instruments of Torture (2000)
"Brodequin is a band that has never disappointed me with a single record, and I don’t anticipate they ever will. I can remember clearly the first time I heard this album, I listened to it probably five times back to back because I felt so mesmerized by it. The level of grind and BDM being performed here is something no band has ever pulled off quite like them."
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Epoch of Immorality will be released June 6th via Iron Fortress Records (CD & cassette pre-order).
Tagged: bludgeoned by deformity, our biggest influences, pig destroyer, sanguisugabogg
