Dismember — Massive Killing Capacity

intothewellsabyss
Aug 4, 2023
4 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

August 4, 1995 — Dismember released their third full-length studio album, Massive Killing Capacity via Nuclear Blast Records. (Listen on Spotify)

The album was re-released by Regain Records in 2005. A music video was made for the track Casket Garden.

The Wells Perspective:

The first time I heard anything from Massive Killing Capacity was when HeadBangers Ball aired the video for Casket Garden (watch video). Dismember had previously released the 3-song EP/MCD for Casket Garden in March of 1995 and filmed the music video to promote the title track.

Like Carcass’ Swansong (1995) or Entombed’s Wolverine Blues (1993) beforehand, and Gorefest’s Soul Survivor (1996) afterwards, Massive Killing Capacity sounded different from the bands previous offerings, Like An Everflowing Stream (1991), and Indecent And Obscene (1993). I liked what I had heard, but I wasn’t able to run out to buy the EP right away, so I resolved to listening to the recording of the video I dubbed on VHS (I always recorded every episode of Headbangers Ball, and I still have around 12 or more VHS tapes with old episodes of the Ball today) until the full album was released.

Now, on with the show! Matti Kärki had approached the song differently than on the earlier albums. In place of his usual Death Metal growls were these sort of Hardcore shouts with a more straightforward Heavy Metal cadence. Maybe it was a case of Dismember taking a cue from Entombed, because on the song Casket Garden, I could hear somewhat of a resemblance to the that bands Wolverine Blues album.

I remember buying Massive Killing Capacity from a close friend of mine after he listened to it just once, declaring “𝙸 𝙵**𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙰𝚃𝙴 𝙸𝚃...” I was thinking after hearing Casket Garden that he must not be hearing the music the way I heard it, or I was just so excited for a new Dismember release that I got caught up in the moment, and it’s really that bad! It had been a few months between the airing of the video and the release of the album, after all!

From the first second of the song I Saw Them Die I thought “𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝”?, Then the next song Massive Killing Capacity kicked in and it reassured me that I wasn’t mistaken, this is going to be good! It had some of those classic Dismember riffs, thrown into a tightly woven, medium paced groove with a thunderous back beat. And, once again it featured the newer, more Hardcore vocal style that Matti used for Casket Garden. Then came On Frozen Fields, which kicks in with some nice, fast paced single note tremolo picking, Matti’s new vocal stylings and… a very nice under-layering of Kärki’s screams, reminiscent of their earlier releases. The fact that they blend really well is something that has been lost to some who still complain about this album today.

Crime Divine is another groove heavy track that features some nice galloping rhythms and Dismembers signature guitar harmonies. While, To The Bone has a nice Crust Punk/D-beat feel. It is also the one track where I can say that Matti’s vocals truly resembles those of Entombed’s Lars Göran Petrov (R.I.P.). I mean, if I didn’t know any better, I would have sworn that it was Petrov! That’s a compliment, by the way.

Wardead is just a loud, fast and Thrashin’ track that is fit for headbanging. Hallucigenia is another groove oriented track, but features Matti’s early Death growls and screams. and Collection By Blood has a heavy Judas Priest feel in the guitar section, while the song is carried by an early Louie Clemente (Testament) style drum pattern.

Then comes Casket Garden, and again, I am reassured that I was not mistaken! This song sounds just as brilliant as it did the very first time I heard it on MTV’s Headbangers Ball! Epic guitar riffs, bombastic but straightforward drum groove, with Kärki hurling the lyrics “𝚂𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚝𝚑 - 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚊 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚎 - 𝙰 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚖𝚞𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚍!” Simple, to the point, and inherently true!

The next song is the instrumental Nenia. A truly great song which ebbs and flows between heaviness and harmony, and in retrospect, this track sounds like an ode to Metallica’s Orion. The very last song is titled “Life - Another Shape of Sorrow”. The track has a very Doom-laden appointment to it, but in juxtaposition, is filled with a lot of melody and harmony. While I was listening to this album before writing this, by the time I had reached this track, it actually felt as if it were a funeral march, bidding farewell… the end is nigh!

In conclusion; like Entombed’s Wolverine Blues and Swansong by Carcass, I enjoyed and welcomed Massive Killing Capacity with an open mind. While many of my friends scoffed at my listening to this and the former releases, I was too busy enjoying the albums to let their criticisms affect me or influence me to turn away from them. If you are one of those who had negative connotations towards Massive Killing Capacity, and haven’t listened to it since is was first released, I implore you to give it another chance. If you do decide to revisit the album, do so with an open mind. Who knows… you might just find the brilliance of this misunderstood gem! — E.N. Wells

Notice: Any reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Dismember — Massive Killing Capacity

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