Hailing from San Jose, California (the state that is also home to Cephalotripsy, Condemned and others), comes Vaginal Discharge. Having been contacted by the band over Myspace, they sent me a CD for free to be reviewed, bearing the title- Devour the Aborted Fetus. The first riff of opening track, Chainsaw Evisceration, instantly gives off a old-school death metal, almost even black metal feel. This is continued throughout the album, however the newer, more brutal influences quickly show through too. The guitars continue at a nearly constant mid-pace, mainly in the low, distorted tone brutal death fans will be used to, though they often move into a higher, shrieking pitch that brings back the old school feel. Both bass and drums fit alongside the riffs nicely, creating a tight sound, with the bass standing out on certain sections more than usually seen in this type of music. The vocals maintain a low, guttural pitch throughout, only occasionally venturing into something higher, and one can't help but think a little more variation would help. Indeed, my only real criticism of this album is that there is little, if any, variation between tracks, although this is a difficulty most brutal death metal bands do face, as it is hard (but not impossible) to make an album of individually recognisable songs in this genre.
    One way in which this can be helped is by the use of samples. This is an issue which divides many fans of the genre- some love them, others hate them. In my opinion, samples can be used to make songs more recognisable, among other things. The first seven tracks of this CD are devoid of samples, it is only the penultimate title-track that contains any. The track opens with a brief sample from South Park, then halfway through one from the new Halloween movie. Neither of these seem to tie in with the title of this song and therefore, I assume, the lyrics. Its only a small detail, but I do like samples to connect with the song. However, using more samples is something I would recommend Vaginal Discharge considering.
    Considering this is their first release and all the members of the band are only eighteen, this album shows a level of maturity and skill that is quite impressive, and can only mean they are going to get better and better. I look forward to hearing more of these guys.