The influence of
Morbid Angel upon the metal underground is almost staggering in its scope, with many followers copying the barely controlled, chaotic riffing of guitarist
Trey Azagthoth and the inhuman drumming of
Pete Sandoval. That being said,
Internecine is essentially the solo project of
Jared Anderson, also a member of vicious
Morbid Angel revisionists
Hate Eternal (which is fronted by former
Morbid Angel guitarist
Erik Rutan);
Anderson even filled
Morbid Angel's vacant singer/bassist slot for a few tours. With so much inbreeding going on (so to speak), it's no surprise that
The Book of Lambs is shot from the same uncompromising vein as the aforementioned projects and is produced by
Rutan, unleashing eight tracks of solid and convincing, if interchangeable, death metal (and one track of silly, death vocal chanting). Abrupt tempo shifts, skull-pasting speed, and perennially busy riffing make for an impressive listen at first, before the derivative songwriting makes one yearn for the relatively experimental virtues of
Nile,
Hypocrisy, and latter-day
Morbid Angel -- or even the more memorable arrangements of
Hate Eternal. Still, death metal traditionalists will appreciate
The Book of Lambs' tireless energy, ranking above the tire-spinning Satan-o-blasting of
Krisiun and Incantation, even if it leaves more selective listeners cold and proves that American death metal may have reached its creative saturation point.