Some things are just meant to come full circle. It was the Impetigo ‘Horror of the Zombies’ LP that kickstarted my vinyl journey and when F.O.A.D. Records announced the definitive boxset ‘Ultima Sezione Cadaveri – Six Years of Sickness’ I instantly added it to my want list. It was not easy to obtain it, especially living in Malaysia, but it was more than worth the wait and effort.
Though Impetigo was a relatively short-lived band, their impact on the scene has been massive. Sure, some younger fans don’t seem to get what makes Impetigo so special but that’s ultimately their loss. Extreme Metal was never about the technicality and speed, that came in the late 1990s when more bands became influenced by the likes of Suffocation and Cannibal Corpse.
Impetigo were pretty productive considering the numerous challenges of being a band in the 1980s and early 1990s in terms of equipment, recording facilities, producers who had no clue about metal music, etc. They really were the complete package of catchy, intense songs oozing a wicked atmosphere most bands will never attain.
I consider myself extremely lucky that I was living in the United States when they unexpectedly announced a one-off reunion gig at the Central Illinois Metalfest 2007. It will forever remain one of the most glorious concerts I’ve ever attended!
The care invested into this massive boxset is obvious from the packaging, the insane number of materials included (8 LPs, 5 CDs, 4 tapes), and the supercool 100-page full colour book which provides in-depth info on the band’s history and deranged liner notes that only Stevo could conjure up.
In terms of LPs, you get ‘All We Need Is Cheez’, both the final mix and the original mix of ‘Ultimo mondo cannibale’, both the rough and final mix of ‘Horror of the Zombies’, the reunion gig ‘Live Total Zombie Gore Holocaust’, and two records filled with singles and compilation tracks. Note that the introductions have been removed from the ‘Live Total Zombie Gore Holocaust!’ LP, probably because these are too long and would require a double LP haha!
In terms of CDs, you get ‘Ultimo mondo cannibale’, ‘Giallo/Antefatto/Faceless’, ‘Buio Omega’, a compilation of three gigs in 1988, and a compilation of two gigs: one in 1990 and the other is the infamous 1992 Rhode Island Death Fest gig, hell yeah!
In terms of tapes, you get a whole bunch of obscure 1987 rehearsals and a short gig. These earliest recordings clearly show the band’s Punk roots before they transformed into the Death Metal/Grindcore beast they became known for. Given how old these recordings are, obviously they sound very raw and primitive. But Impetigo never were a high fidelity kind of band anyway!
For trivia nerds like myself, as Mark explained in interview, the Splatterreah prank call at the start of “Heart of Illinois” will never be on any Impetigo release again and is not to be found here either. Fortunately those of us who have the original Wild Rags CD can still enjoy it.
All in all, this boxset is an exquisitely deranged piece of art which the true hounds of the Impetigo lesions will devour like rabid hounds. What you need to decide before they sell out, are you one of them?
PS: RIP Mark “Impetigo” Sawickis, a genuinely humble and kind soul whose legacy shall live on forever
