Artist: Fulminate
Country: USA
Label: Acid Redux Productions / Septic Aroma Of Reeking Stench
Formats: Cassette Tape / CD
Year: 2026
Even without the earlier digital release of the ‘3 Traxxx’ promo, we actually already had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the upcoming Fulminate album. From the very first steps of this one-man Grindcore/Death Metal project, the goal was clear: make Dead Infection great again! Although Dead Infection was, of course, never ‘ungreat’, it never hurts to continue honouring these Gory Grind Gods. That’s exactly what Max Rivera does with total dedication on this second album, entitled ‘Postoperative Decline’, which clocks in at a good forty minutes.
That running time is spread across 22 tracks, each averaging around two minutes, with the occasional track running slightly longer or shorter. But that’s certainly not what most captures the essence of the old school Grindcore aesthetic. Everything Rivera has recorded is a true homage to the early 90s, when Death Metal and Grindcore were often blended together to create delicacies such as Necrony, General Surgery, Phlegm, Hemdale, Exhumed, Blood, Dead, Regurgitate, Squash Bowels and… Dead Infection.
To dispel any doubts and emphasise three times over that he is a die-hard Dead Infection fan, Rivera has included no fewer than three cover versions of tracks by the Polish Grindcore pioneers on this album. But let’s be honest, this could easily have been released under the name Dead Infection: the chances of anyone noticing the difference are pretty slim – apart from the fact that Dead Infection disbanded in 2020 following the death of Sławomir ‘Cyjan’ Cywoniuk. I reckon you couldn’t pay Rivera a greater compliment than this, but it’s certainly well deserved. I became completely hooked on this kind of music in the late 90s and throughout the 00s, but lost touch with it a bit after that. Still, I notice that with quality releases coming from the likes of Extremely Rotten Productions, that old love hasn’t quite died out yet. A band like Fulminate also fits perfectly with my fondness for the old records by Last Days Of Humanity, Exhumed, Dead, Blood, Regurgitate and… Dead Infection.
Nothing new under the sun here, just a solid dose of noise that once again puts a big smile on my face. The forty minutes are over before I even realise it! An amusing detail is that the censored version of the CD cover is identical to that of Dead Infection’s ‘A Chapter Of Accidents’. Presumably not a coincidence.
