If there’s one thing slam does better than anyone else, it’s reveling in gore. This brutal mutation of graveyard-variety death metal is commonly home to horrifying pseudo-medical song and album titles, vile band names, and artwork to make a serial killer blush. Athenian butchers Embryectomy are a prime example. Third LP Vitriolic Baptism, adorned with illustrations of boiling babies and vats of entrails, boasts odes like “Chainsaw Symphysiotomy” and “Cranioclastic Infanticide.” Doubling down on the formula developed on previous efforts, Gluttonous Mastication of Embryonic Remnants and Flamethrower Ecdysis, the viscera-drenched trio promises seismic chugs and monstrous breakdowns tailor-made for the pit. Does Embryectomy’s brand of auditory carnage make good on the tantalizing promises of such disgusting imagery?
After Vitriolic Baptism starts with some befuddling dungeon synth, opener “Progeny Shredder” confirms that Embryectomy drink smoothies of liquified human offal for fun. Some slam sounds like it has a bachelor’s degree, and some even has a master’s, but Embryectomy hasn’t even learned to read. This is pure, knuckle-dragging, Cro-Magnon era slam. Gurgling vocals bubble up from Kyriakos Destounis’s throat as if through a vat of congealed remains, kicking off the album in earnest with “Ecumenical Lobotomy.” Like a butcher patiently tenderizing a human face, Marinos Tountas utilizes predominantly slower tempos to deliver viciously threatening riffs and instill mortal terror in the form of breakdown after breakdown after breakdown. His relatively consistent pace leaves the album’s tempo shifts in drummer Jake Gamble’s capable hands. When he’s got the room to flex, like on “Sanctimonious Episcopicide” and “Cranioclastic Infanticide,” Gamble enacts some serious percussive violence, surging through double bass rolls and stalking through the back alleys of Vitriolic Baptism.
This strategy works well on initial spins, and album highlights “Newborn Martyrdom” and “Carbonized Genesis” continue to distinguish themselves long after familiarity sets in. The former sees Tountas launching some vicious triplets followed by a passage in 3/4, while the latter features my favorite sample1 and some of Gamble’s best kit work on Vitriolic Baptism. Repeated baptisms, however, reveal largely underwhelming riffcraft on the whole. Filthy and stankface-ready though they are, the lion’s share of Embryectomy’s riffs rely on that positively disgusting sound over raw musicianship. They often simply plod slowly up and down the scale with minimal variance. Things occasionally speed up for a dozen measures, but the more common shift is just a key change. For example, I had to double-check that “Ecumenical Lobotomy” wasn’t just recycling the same main riff from “Progeny Shredder.”
Mitigating factors include enjoyable samples—Trailer Park Boys, Family Guy, Evil Dead—and a brisk playtime. Vitriolic Baptism clocks in just under 31 minutes, so its simplicity and consistency don’t kill an undue amount of momentum, and by the time “Carbonized Genesis” ends, I’m often still enamored with Embryectomy’s tone and energy over their compositions. My last criticism is of the noticeably squished production. “Vitriolic Baptism” and “Chainsaw Symphysiotomy” highlight this most, where bone-rattling bass drops shove the rest of the instruments into a corner; I can hear the rest of the music getting quieter to make room and then returning as the reverberations settle. It sounds like Vitriolic Baptism has a ceiling on its volume, and Embryectomy frequently crashes into it at the expense of sound quality.
At the end of the day, though, we’re talking about slam, and Embryectomy plays decent slam. If I wanted masterful compositions and astounding musical arrangements, I’d dig for Tchaikovsky or something. I’m here—as I’m sure many of us are—for vocals like cinder blocks scraping together and guitars that chug with all the force of a hammer to the skull. Embryectomy isn’t breaking any new ground on Vitriolic Baptism, but their particular flavor of vomit-soaked slam does exactly what it’s supposed to do. Vitriolic Baptism won’t bring any new converts to the faith, but those whose appetites weren’t sated during this year’s Summer of Slam may find some late but choice morsels here.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Unique Leader Records
Websites: Album Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: October 23rd, 2026
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