Protrusion's self-titled promo in 2023 fell on my lap around release date and I remember enjoying the worship of all things old school, yet I lost touch of the band and forgot since then. By the time the first new single Boiled At Birth dropped earlier this year, I hoped it would be the precursor of a full-length release in the same reverse progression, and that’s exactly what debut The Last Suppuration is. Even the title of the specific track immediately gives vibes of the old rotten years somewhere between the release of Butchered at Birth and the Boiling Humans EP, which is where this album ultimately belongs.
Below the ground, suffocating brutal death metal thrives on the decay of a forgotten atmosphere that was somehow captured by the noisy recordings of the earliest bands, yet it hasn’t been easily replicated since. Protrusion embrace tradition with gleeful morbidity and deliver a record dredged in the damp crypts of the early ‘90s, picking up influences from various giants like Suffocation or Mortal Decay, yet The Last Suppuration still feels refreshing to listen to, even as a new release in 2026. It looks back with romanticism but doesn’t mimic, explicitly mentioning the Morrisound-era death metal as a main influence and aiming to shape an equally ferocious album, reasonably succeeding with The Last Suppuration.
First things first, you’re welcomed with the grim artwork by none other than John Zig, who has done covers for countless bands, notably for Deeds of Flesh, Pathology, Defeated Sanity, Disavowed etc… Not only the band line-up includes members involved in the past in projects like Human Filleted, Found Hanging and Gorgasm, they’ve also recruited Tony Tipton from the legendary Regurgitation for the studio magic - seriously, how much death metal stench can one endure? Album opener “Confined to Anguish” presents twisted riff structures, suffocating mid-tempo grooves and vocals from the deepest depths, touching the unadulterated brutality of a combination of Chris Barnes on the first Cannibal Corpse records, and Demilich’s Antti Boman.
I quickly flipped over the striking guitar tone on the album, offering thick and murky distortion with enough precision to digest every scourging riff section. Half-buried and unwilling to stay dead, The Last Suppuration’s sound was forged to press on the listener and to feed from the genre’s roots, but above all it’s the tracks themselves that are exceptional, and their quality stands out to me the most here. The sombre piano opening, alongside the synth use and slower-paced middle part of “Morbid Mortality” almost gives it an early Greek black metal feeling, as the band keeps the tempo down to the gutter with the ominous “Exhumer’s Romance” and “Accursed Skin” (not a Teitanblood cover!). Apart from the filthy guitar layers, periodic soloing enhances the compositions and shows how well-versed Protrusion is in peak death metal.
For me, the array of “Boiled at Birth” right before “Slugs of Decadence” remains a standout even after listening to the whole album, as it strongly felt like listening to proto-brutal / technical death metal from a time these subgenres were not yet established. The underlying bass work on these tracks is impressive and the vocals introduce higher pitched variation and, also found later on “Scorned Vengeance” and the self-titled track, with the latter seriously approaching instances of clearer, uninterrupted groove. The Last Suppuration closes with the longest piece, “Anthropophilic Anomaly,” a fitting finale that gathers the record’s strongest elements. Dominating middle-paced riffs, a glorious church bell ringing at the track’s every turn and nudging at traditional doom metal, and an absolutely synth-driven, epic ending. Clearly the most ambitious track on the album, concluding Protrusion’s convincing first effort.
The territory is dark, the fidelity to the genre’s vows admirable. Rusted blades grinding against bone with a conviction to feel vital without engaging in radical experimentation, Protrusion’s debut feels like it holds the scepters of vile death metal that’s controlled and bestial at the same time. The Last Suppuration belongs to an ever-growing, ever-festering catalogue of underground records that rip to shreds and take no prisoners. Recommended for fans of the cave.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
