My first encounter with the work of Alice Simard (Luminesce) had already caught my attention. It wasn’t long before another release featuring her landed in my hands. Canadian brutal slam/goregrind Onchocerciasis Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (or just OE for reasons of… survival) have existed for seven years now 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, pressing play feels like a switch that unleashes pure chaos. A wave of excess, distortion and “filth” pours out everywhere, creating an experience that balances between disgust and fascination. And yet, however extreme it sounds, 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 brings to mind names like Wormhole and Artificial Brain.
Alice (guitars, composition, drum programming), Jesse Agiomamitis (vocals, lyrics) and the mysterious The Popu (almost everything) work like a well-tuned machine. Despite the fact that the genre has its limits, they manage to offer variety and interest within those narrow confines. The album, about 33 minutes long, 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, adding 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 become “easy” or to stick with you right away. The first half of the album is almost punishing: relentless riffs, nonstop blast beats, distorted leads and extreme gutturals make up a sonic chaos that leaves no room to breathe.
Tracks like “Conquering Divinity” through to “Entombed Within The Infinite Panopticon” hammer away at you nonstop, while small details, like dark bell-like sonic elements, add atmosphere without making the tracks any “easier”.
And yet, somewhere in the middle, something changes.
With “Gutted & Corpsed” the album starts to show another side. More structured changes appear, more thought in the compositions and an atmosphere that feels like 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 limits of the genre.
Although the album remains difficult and not particularly “catchy”, the second half gives you a reason to come back again and again, discovering new details each time.
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Overall, Fugue Gnawed From The Scabbed God Cerebrum isn’t an album that will be loved easily. It’s 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 inside the chaos.
I didn’t expect it to win me over… but in the end it did. If you can handle this kind of listening, it’s worth giving it a chance.
Rating: Good!
Label: Stillbirth Records
Websites: officialonchocerciasis.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/OnchoOfficial
Worldwide release: April 3, 2026
