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You know, with how much music there is out there these days, I find that it's pretty damn hard to still get excited about a new release, especially if you're like me and have 40+ years of listening to a zillion bands on top of all that. Of course, that just makes the rare instance of a band kicking your ass straight out of the gate so special, and boy have Leprosy done just that on their debut album. What you get in Obnoxious Futuristic Vision is nine tracks of heavy, crushing Death Metal with a take-no-prisoners attitude that bows low at the altars of Death and Pestilence, specifically the albums Spiritual Healing and Testimony of the Ancients. This kind of thing requires a degree of musical proficiency that's well above standard, and I have to say everyone in the band gives an impressive performance for a debut, from the Schuldiner/Mameli-esque guitar work of Jeff Hanneman to the Tardy-esque grunts of Samuel Robert to the double-roll focused drumming of Jonathan Coté, and the prominent bass work really adds a level of heaviness to the release. All that alone would make this a great album, but Leprosy take it a step further and experiment a little with the Death/Pestilence worship, such as the honest-to-God mouth harp on "Transplanting the Brain" and the futuristic opening and mournful, cello-led ending of album closer "Virtual Life". At the end of the day, this is an album that serves as an excellent example of drawing on past greats to create the base of a punishing sound that adds new elements to make it all sound familiar yet distinct, and if this is what they did on their first album, I can only look forward to what they'll do next. A killer beginning for a killer band.