I wrote up the debut record from Bonginator back in 2023. I found myself partly explaining why I felt it necessary to do so for a portion of the review, as a band thus named, releasing a record called The Intergalactic Gorebong of Deathpot felt like it may have been a bit obvious in terms of the style and nature of the record. But I found more to talk about in the record than maybe those basic headlines suggest. So the young death metal stoners are back with album number two. Has much changed? Well, yes. And no. There is a very specific stylistic focus or quasi-concept this time around as there was on the debut, but it’s maybe somewhat looser and sprinkled with a different seasoning this time around.

The seasoning in question is a combination of synths and electronics that wilfully, tangibly and unabashedly evoke 80’s/90’s sic-fi and 16-bit video games. But not in any kind of trend-chasing way, I should make clear. There is no suggestion of Bonginator jumping on any bandwagons here, merely indulging their own love for 80’s and 90’s sci-fi films and their favourite games from a similar era. I feel I should say that for full transparency, I share almost all of their frames of reference from the period. Robocop, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, They Live, The Thing, etc. and these are not subtle allusions, either. The songs are named loosely around the films, they have samples from the films, the lyrics refer directly to the films (in a frequently and deliberately dunderheaded, tongue-in-cheek-cheek death metal fashion) and there are fully synth-driven interludes to really complete the suite. I can’t fault their commitment one little bit.

Where I think this record really succeeds, is when the death metal, often tinged by a more programmed beat style in terms of drum work, combines fully and leans into the tones and inherent fun of some of these games and films. When it feels very Paul Verhoeven, basically. Knowing, neon, but still willing to deliver sledgehammer violence. The film score (or at least film credits) approach that crops up occasionally (“The Fog” being the key example) does also mean for those passages, the death metal drops back to simply be more of a sinister metal 4/4 stomp, frequently overlayed with legitimately brilliant guitar solos, complete with wild 80’s production and tone. It’s fun as hell. Roto toms, pig squeals, beat downs and stankface riffs are all over the record, there are heaps of guest spots (albeit most of them, including Abel Abarca from Big Ass Truck, are on the absurdly titled “Short-Ass Bus”) and the style switches up from song to song so rapidly that there is scant chance you could ever get bored.

It’s a hard album to explain, oddly. It’s wilfully dumb, but it’s immaculately crafted. The retro and the death (see album title) haven’t been entirely woven together, but it works brilliantly nonetheless. I involuntarily bang my head, screw my face up, or smile at specific references throughout. I think drawing the comparison with Fulci would maybe be a bit lazy, (though Fiore Stravino from Fulci does feature on the record) because although they both lean so heavily into filmic influences, I feel they’re very different from one another. I tend to like my death metal very silly or very serious. Bonginator exist at the silly end of the spectrum, but that truly belies their ability to write an absolutely killer death metal tune, and now the evidence extends to their flair for introducing an occasional electronic influence that generates an almost danceable version of death metal, as absurd as that might seem. Kind of Cannibal Corpse meets Rob Zombie. That might sound like something you never want to hear and if that’s the case, I kind of get it. But I’d suggest giving it a go, because there is a lot more in here to enjoy than that might initially sound. Though I will concede, if you have no interest in 90’s pop culture, you might feel a little like you’re on the outside of the party, looking in.