Out March 6, 2026
Via Gore House Productions
Words by: Liam Hedges
Reborn in Blight is the sophomore release of Russian Brutal Death outfit Insect Inside. Made up of ex-members of Traumatomy; Bogan Pisavnin (bass) and band founder Daniel Sementsov (drums), Insect Inside include several notable features on this release, with Cephaltripsy, Defeated Sanity and Pestilectomy all appearing on the track list. With these features and a dark bio-organic artwork from the incredible Jon Zig, brutality should be expected.
Track one, Echoes of the Swallowed Sinners, kicks off with a sample into a dark and moody swelling atmosphere, before diving into the groove-driven downtuned riffs and slams that encompasses the sound of Insect Inside. Gravelly gutturals, performed by Ivan Tyulkin, tell the story of the demise of humanity and the rise of a great insectoid race across this release.
Track three, Fragments, closes out with a melodic section ending abruptly before commencing track four, Putrid Lament with a short drum fill into a big slam riff and gutturals. Guitarist Pavel Pleshkov, offers a lot more on the guitars than just crushing riffs and meaty slams, with many dissonant, moody sections crafted to evoke despair. The best example of this is track seven, Obscuration Worship, which is a short instrumental relief from the brutality of this release.
Track nine, Parasite Messiah, might just be my favourite track, with probably the best example of melodic slower sections moving into brutal death riffage and an immense slam to close out. The pulverising drums, that Pestilectomy feature and subtle bass slides, I would have been happy for the final section to continue for much longer, but Insect Inside know what they are doing far too well. Instead the listener is left wanting more, with interest fully peaked prior to the final and title track of the album, Reborn in Blight.
No tracks on this release get old, or overstay their welcome, many of the songs are reasonably short and honestly, before you know it the album is finished. This is a testament to the quality of the song writing; Insect Inside establishes an atmosphere and pulverizes your skull, but the album as a whole develops and changes track-to-track enough to fully capture the listener’s attention. This is really showcased in the final track which closes out with the most moody and melodic section of the whole release which, to me, is reminiscent of brutal death metal heavy hitters Pathology.
I also want to note the astute use of the opening sample, while modern brutal death and slam often utilizes a lot of samples, (which to be clear I am absolutely not against), Insect Inside have carefully chosen this opening to aid in crafting the story and atmosphere portrayed in this release. This is something I always appreciate and am most drawn to in music, and which I would say they have achieved with this release.
Each track off Reborn in Blight offers crushing groovy riffs, which are so essential to creating a memorable brutal death release. The mix of the album as a whole exhibits each instrument clearly while keeping a modern brutal sound. I want to especially mention the bass which is placed clearly audible in the mix and often shines through in passages, purposefully capturing the listeners attention. The effect of this is what I have tried to explain above: that this release captures the diverse sounds of brutal music and maintains a listener’s interest throughout.
From the opening of the album to the final faded-out note, this album felt like a complete story. I highly recommend this upcoming release and will be digging back through their previous work myself.
Off for now to praise the insectoid overlords,
Metal Cult 666
