Obsessed with the horror genre, Engorged is a death metal/black metal band whose recordings are the headbanger equivalent of a Child's Play, Friday the 13th, or A Nightmare on Elm Street bloodfest. Engorged's albums contain soundbites from actual horror films and the band's horror obsession is also expressed by song titles like "Zombie," "Day of the Dead," "Dawn of the Dead," "Eaten Alive!" (not to be confused with Diana Ross' 1985 hit), and "It Came From Beyond." But the members of Engorged bring so much humor and irony to their work that they are ultimately more amusing than disturbing, that is if you have a taste for dark humor and realize that not everything in the death metal/black metal field should be taken seriously. While Slayer and Deicide -- two death metal bands that do take themselves quite seriously -- can be genuinely disturbing, Engorged comes across as a caricature of death metal and is really an exercise in campy, over-the-top entertainment. However, there are elements of Slayer in the band's sound, which combines '80s and '90s influences. As ferocious and blistering as Engorged is, the band isn't the sort of amelodic, atonal death metal/black metal/grindcore outfit that plays at the same tempo -- ultra-fast -- 100 percent of the time. Engorged frequently changes tempos and the headbangers' sound owes something to the '90s death metal/black metal scene, as well as to Sod, Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Slayer, and other thrash and speed metal combos that emerged in the '80s. Engorged has been influenced by grindcore acts like Carcass and Cannibal Corpse, but the combo has also been influenced by hardcore punk. Formed in the Pacific Northwest in the mid-'90s, Engorged first started recording in 1997. That year, Engorged provided a demo titled Death Metal Attack. Then in 1999, Engorged recorded a CD titled Death Metal Attack II for the Razorback label. In 2000, Engorged signed with Necropolis' Deathvomit subsidiary, and a self-titled album came out on Deathvomit in 2002. The band's members have included Akkad (vocals), Cobra Commandeer (guitar), Major Bludd (guitar), Noah (guitar, vocals), and Shad (drums, vocals). ~ Alex Henderson