New Jersey/Washington DC-based evil death metal Kontusion emerge with “Insatiable Lust For Death”, their first full-length, out July 25 via Profound Lore Records.
The album expands on the raw groundwork of their earlier demo, leaning deeper into a brutalist blend of death metal and hardcore, while lyrically circling large-scale atrocities, individual acts of violence, and the mechanics of societal collapse.
At the core are Chris Moore (Repulsion) on drums and Mark Bronzino (ex-Iron Reagan, Mammoth Grinder) on guitar and vocals.
The record was tracked by Chris Pierce at Volume IV Studios, with additional sessions at Damaged City Studios, mixed by Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations, and mastered by Nick Townsend. Artwork was handled by Rotting Reign with layout by Aaren Molder.
Throughout its ten tracks, this beast of an offering presents a grim worldview, marked by systemic violence, decay, and human suffering. From reflections on war to commentary on commerce and control, the album operates as a tightly wound statement on our current condition. “Commerce and its relation to suffering and indifference” is one of the core themes the band identifies, and the record doesn’t offer any illusion of escape or redemption.
Kontusion recently wrapped up two back-to-back tours—one on the US West Coast surrounding Northwest Terror Fest, and a European run with Molder that ended at Obscene Extreme Fest in Czech Republic.
The track-by-track commentary offers deeper insight into the conceptual and compositional decisions behind the album:
Endless Horror – Wanted to start the record off with something urgent, something driving. Intended to let the listener know where we stand, that the world is a fucked up place and that we in turn, are not fucking around.
Countless Atrocities – Keeping the forward motion, but adding more and more layers. Taking cues from classic regional death metal like Ripping Corpse and Immolation, while keeping the frantic energy of hardcore. Introspection rears its head somewhere within the chaos, only to be consumed with rage.
Revenge – A lyrically darker and more bludgeoning tone, this track focuses more on individual atrocities, such as crimes of passion. Musically the riffs move back and forth between heavier riffage and mood-inducing tremolo picked, single notes.
Hemorrhage – One of the oldest tracks from the new LP, written during the same era as the demo. You can really hear the more punk inspired roots. Over the course of the writing of the album, we slowly developed the track into a lean death metal song, marching into oblivion. They Hemorrhage Cash for blood. Commerce and its relation to suffering and indifference, central themes within this album.
Throne Of Skulls – Throne was originally written to be a slow lumbering track but once we got into the practice space, the tempo doubled. The result became something completely different. The attacks are unrelenting as they seek to claim the throne of skulls.
Incarnate – the fastest bpm blasting on the album, detailing a now perhaps mythical series of grisly murders in the DC metro area near where Kontusion rehearses. Unclear if the events actually occurred, or its simply local lore, but the immediate local water supply might have tasted of human remains. Disturbing to think about, and the only logical reaction is to play fast as fuck.
Subjugation – A reflection on the process of demeaning the spirit of the people so their very bodies can be consumed by the system to continue to fuel its death machine. Starting loud and forward, the song speeds up to a frenzy midway, before bringing it back and returning to its origin as a stomp.
Melting – We exist writing songs and playing gigs, while we are assured somewhere on earth humans are being ripped to pieces by man made weapons. The dichotomy is not lost on us. The frenzy of this energy leads to one of the most complex moments of whirlwind grind on the album, overlaid with traditional style lead guitar playing to exacerbate this juxtaposition.
Horrid Eye – When the horrid eye is upon you it’s difficult to avert its gaze. If you observe with the horrid eye, there is a chance it will consume and destroy you as it does your adversary. numerous historical cultural traditions have used many terms to describe this phenomenon, but how can you explain its existence? Can you feel it when you are caught in the eye’s grasp, or is it too late?
No Escape – Inspired by recorded firsthand accounts of the first world war, and passed down verbal stories of the second and beyond. The modern world we live in has been shaped by these events for better or for worse. That is why we play heavy metal. The swirling riffs and fanatic rhythms bring a mirror to the history which shapes our distorted and fractured, bleak world view.
