I reserve some skepticism about the old “all girl band” thing. Too often have I seen a band make it their main marketing gimmick, with labels quick to jump on the train, defeating the purpose of any emancipatory value that that tag could hold. Women aren’t worse musicians than men, but neither are they by default better than men, making a band basically cast around a non-musical quality fall flat more often than not. I wouldn’t bring this up here if not to compare Emasculator positively to acts like Kitty, Girlschool, or even Sisters of Suffocation (who since have hired a male drummer), that, while competent, could be comprised of anyone without it being too noticeable. The promo blurb for The Disfigured and the Divine describes its lyrical content as a combination of ideas of self-actualization via Hindu mythology, drawing parallels between the goddess Chhinnamasta and the self-sacrifice often demanded of women in modern society. Emasculator has thought out their whole concept beyond the marketable ideas of girl power — a labor of love, it seems. And the musicians involved have proven in other acts — Emasculator an international act composed from the gore-laden deathgrind of Cartilage, the brutal death of Unfathomable Ruination — all coalescing into a cohesive sound inspired by cult act Deeds of Flesh.
Emasculator isn’t hesitant to update the sound and let their other influences creep in. The finicky melodic lines of the opening song “Ecstasy in Disseverment (of Self)”, for example, wouldn’t feel too out of line within the context of Unfathomable Ruination. And as it settles into a chug oriented verse, Emasculator wears a sound similar to Cartilage. The member’s backgrounds and influences often weave together like this to produce strong, if not too hook-reaching, songs. In Malika Sundarmurthy’s (Unfathomable Ruination, ex-Abnormality) vocals modern influences leak through the “Cookie Monster by way of Frank Mullen” style, finding additional technique in showcasing pig squeals and other -core trademarks. “The Unassailable” even dabbles in one of technical death metal’s more indulgent pastimes: rhythmic Indian chanting. Emasculator gets a pass here as Sundaramurthy‘s cultural background makes it seem just a tad more authentic than when other acts play that card. Yet, interludes like this prevent this EP, The Disfigured and the Divine, from being a home run. Investing two minutes on an already short format simply isn’t great for its momentum. On a full length exploration, the Indian vocal influence could have played on more similarities in rhythmic approach or otherwise, but there just isn’t enough time for the listener to draw any parallels here. Still, Emasculator‘s debut EP is an enjoyable slab of brutal death metal, even with its flaws, and it remains to be seen what these gals can do with a little more run time.
