For those who think America can’t hold its own next to its Norwegian death metal counterparts, check out Undead. This is easily the band’s most ferocious recording since 1999’s Maximum Violence. It's also the first (and last) to feature Chimera's Rob Arnold, who quit and was replaced by Ola Englund on the very same day that Metal Blade Records released the album. The first cut, “Frozen at the Moment of Death,” is an instantaneous barrage of pummeling, thunderous rhythms and winding guitar distortion that build a brutal altar for Chris Barnes’ feral, guttural growls. In the following “Formaldehyde,” Barnes’ larynx-shredding recalls the angst-spitting snarls during his tenure with Cannibal Corpse. Other standout moments include the call-and-response guitar dual in “Blood on My Hands” and the hardcore attack in “Reckless,” as well as a lower vocal range exercised in “Delayed Combustion Device.” With all the talk of an impending zombie apocalypse, it’s refreshing to hear Barnes bark an alternative concern in “Vampire Apocalypse.”