My first contact with the work of Alice Simard (Luminesce) had already caught my attention. It wasn’t long before another release she’s involved in landed in my hands. The Canadian brutal slam/goregrind Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (or just OE for… survival purposes) have existed for seven years in a swamp of extreme sound, and Fugue Gnawed From The Scabbed God Cerebrum is their second full-length album.
From the very first seconds, hitting play feels like a switch that unleashes pure chaos. A wave of excess, distortion and “filth” spills everywhere, creating an experience that balances between disgust and fascination. And yet, as extreme as it may sound, I can’t say it isn’t enjoyable — rather the opposite.
Their sound moves along familiar but excessively extreme paths. On the same “sick” level as bands like Epicardiectomy and Organectomy, with the paranoia we often encounter in the Asian scene, but also with a creativity that recalls names like Wormhole and Artificial Brain.
Alice (guitars, composition, drum programming), Jesse Agiomamitis (vocals, lyrics) and the mysterious The Popu (almost everything) operate like a well-tuned machine. Despite the fact that the genre has its limits, they manage to deliver variety and interest within those narrow boundaries. The album, lasting about 33 minutes, stays true to brutal slamgrind, but its execution is among the most “insane” you’ll hear.
The intensity of the drums creates a sense of danger, the vocals — however “disgusting” they may be — have unexpected dynamics, while the guitars constantly change face, giving color to an otherwise dark whole.
However, all of this comes at a price. Fugue is not an easy listen. It isn’t for everyone and it certainly doesn’t try to be “easy” or to stick with you right away. The first half of the album is almost punishing: relentless riffs, continuous blast beats, distorted leads and extreme gutturals make up a sonic chaos that leaves no room to breathe.
Tracks like “Conquering Divinity” through “Entombed Within The Infinite Panopticon” hammer you relentlessly, while small details, like dark sound elements of the bells type, add atmosphere without making the tracks any “easier”.
And yet, somewhere in the middle, something changes.
With “Gutted & Corpsed” the album begins to show another side. More structured changes appear, more thought in the compositions and an atmosphere that recalls a mix between Wormhole and more experimental shapes. Tracks like “Heaven’s Empty Halls” and “Hurt Beyond Healing” reveal a band that isn’t afraid to go beyond the boundaries of the genre.
Although the album remains difficult and not particularly “catchy”, the second half gives you reason to come back again and again, discovering new details each time.
- Check out this related article too: Osmium Gate – Cannibal Galaxy Review | Metal Territory
Overall, Fugue Gnawed From The Scabbed God Cerebrum is not an album that will be easily loved. It is excessive, extreme and often tiring. But for those who can withstand its intensity, it hides something more than mere noise — a particular form of creativity within chaos.
I didn’t expect it to win me over… but in the end it did. If you can handle such listening, it’s worth giving it a chance.
Rating: Good!
Record label: Stillbirth Records
Websites: officialonchocerciasis.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/OnchoΕπίσημες
Worldwide release: April 3, 2026
