Introtyl - Creation Of Insanity(Special Edition) - Numbered edition

Contrary to what some douchebags still think, women around the world continue to be oppressed in this very day and age, notwithstanding their social status, education, intelligence and so forth. Mexico is no different, sadly, and for an all-female extreme metal band, besides having to deal with the usual disdain for the style by major promoters and mainstream labels, and the disapproval by most of the still moralist and conservative society, they also have to endure a sizeable quantity of fellow musicians and fans looking down upon them just because, well, they're chicks. One likes to think of fellow metalheads as open-minded and unprejudiced, and while I might say most of us are that way, it's not always the case. With all of this in consideration, what this Mexico City death metal quartet (formerly a quintet) have achieved is particularly noteworthy; an all-female death metal outfit arising from the underground and persisting since their formation in the past decade. Creation of Insanity is their long-awaited debut LP, and boys (and girls), it doesn't disappoint at all.

My political correctness aside, this is a solid release not because it was made by four girls, but because it kicks serious amount of ass. Creation of Insanity contains professionally produced, unaltered pummeling old school death metal that will keep your ears joyfully traumatized and your neck vertebrae vigorously active throughout its full entirety. A very good duotonal cover artwork graces this LP, and totally growls “old school” loud and clear. It reminds me of Dan Seagrave, if not as detailed as the master's own art, but close enough, featuring a few hints of Pre-Columbian culture mixed with Lovecraftian aesthetics.

First of all, there's an “Intro”, a short collection of whispers and unholy sighs that evoke a witch incantation, uttered by the ladies in question. Then, swiftly comes “Aggression”, and as its name implies, is a track precisely NOT for ladies. With muscular rhythmic riffs in the vein of old Morbid Angel, and a few deathrash sections a la Master, the first proper tune of this sweet and short LP shows Introtyl enormous talent in crafting obliterating if brief pieces of death metal. Robust but clinical tremolo picking by Rose Contreras is successfully combined with the fast and violent drum abuse by Mayra Pantoja, who is not only proficient at fast and precise blast beats, but also throws in some good thrash-like patterns and even some d-beats occasionally. There are no guitar solos, but they're not missed. The bass work by Sarai Rivera is not audible the whole time, due to the low-tuning of the guitars, but when experienced, it's solid enough. The mixing is actually very good, despite this minor “flaw”.

So, what to expect from the vocals of Kary Lovecraft? Well, I can tell you she'd eat Alissa White-Gluzz for breakfast anytime, and even give Angela Gossow in her prime a pretty good run for her money. In fact, unlike both of those well-known extreme metal frontwomen, Kary can go toe to toe with many of the big boys of death metal. Perhaps she can't go as low as a Chris Barnes in his prime or a Frank Mullen, but she could easily impersonate David Vincent or George Corpsegrinder. Sometimes she goes a bit (and I really mean a bit) higher, for a growl, and recalls Martin van Drunen. Her growling is pretty impressive, she's able to sustain it for long periods of time, and is sufficiently decipherable (if you care for such at thing… this is still death fucking metal!). At least in studio form, she sounds amazing, but I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the gals live at this year's Force Metal Fest here in Mexico in a few months from now and bear witness myself how she, and the three instrumentalist, fare in a live environment.

As for highlights, if you listen to one song from Creation of Insanity you'll know what to expect. This is not proggy or experimental by any means, there are no acoustic or ambient fillers, but despite their playtime the songs have enough variance in their composition to keep them interesting independently. I would recommend to experience the whole thing in one sit and multiple spins, just like you'd do with Reign in Blood. That being said, the choosing of track number 5, “Disssection of the Soul”, as a leading single, shows the band thought this particular tune to be among their best, and I concur, being my favorite from the album. Before listening to Introtyl, I was rather curious what they sounded like, but right now, I can certify they're more than a mere all-female gimmick. The insanity is real, guys. Go get it!