[MEMENTO-LXX] CARDIAC ARREST - A Parallel Dimension of Despair (CD) SOLD OUT. The highly anticipated 6th album from these U.S. Death Metal stalwarts. Formed in the bowels of Chicago way back in 1997, Cardiac Arrest should need no introduction to the ardent fans of rotting and blood-drenched Death Metal, for these grave-dwellers have been carving out aural nightmares of perishing and grime for decades now. Consisting of four individuals with an unearthly interest in all that´s absurd, morbid, gruesome and unhealthy, the band´s been consistently getting heavier and more vile with every album they spat out via previous labels such as Razorback Recordings and Ibex Moon Records, honoring timeless Death Metal of the most grinding and putrid ilk with genuineness and a no-nonsense approach, yet adding enough personality to be in a forever-rotting league of their very own. Now, half a dozen albums deep into their 20-plus-year career, Cardiac Arrest have delivered a masterstroke that bands a third of their age would be jealous to release: "A Parallel Dimension of Despair". Time moves on and tastes change, but these U.S. diehards stay true to the iron-clad ethos of genuine Death Metal. Put on "A Parallel Dimension of Despair" and you´d be forgiven for thinking the year was 1991, so authentic and ingrained is that ethos. For those were days of true songwriting, and Cardiac Arrest have never forgotten that. Not for them the speed-for-its-own-sake stakes nor unnecessary gore that doesn´t serve the heart of horror; instead, the quartet churn forth streamlined yet shit-heavy death that puts emphasis on hooks and groove as well as well-timed bouts of speed. References to be made include Grave, Master, Benediction, Obituary, Cianide, Malevolent Creation and of course the Floridian masters Death and Massacre, but here delivered with a class and clarity that´s entirely their own. If anything, this is Cardiac Arrest at their outright catchiest, addictingly navigating between gallop and blast. With suitably haunting cover art courtesy of Juanjo Castellano and mastering by Javier Felez at Moontower Studios, "A Parallel Dimension of Despair" proves old age doesn´t soften the diehard one bit - it just kicks them into Cardiac Arrest! << BACK