Impetigo

Hailing from Bloomington, Illinois, Impetigo emerged as an overlooked trailblazer within the nascent death, gore, and grind metal scene, setting itself apart through sonic extremity, technical prowess, and grotesque thematic choices. Stevo Dobbins on bass and vocals joined forces with guitarist Mark Sawickis to launch the band in 1987, after which drummer Dan Malin came aboard soon afterward. Two early demo recordings paved the way for their debut full-length, 1990’s Ultimo Mondo Cannibale: the live 1987 tape All We Need Is Cheez and the 1989 effort Giallo. According to lore, the album’s initial artwork proved so explicit, with images of cannibalism, castration, dismemberment, and full frontal nudity, that several months of delay ensued before revised packaging could be approved. Impetigo ultimately accepted a milder layout, allowing the influential record to reach listeners via the independent Wild Rags imprint, where it eventually peaked at number 96 on CMJ’s college-radio charts. Three further 1991 releases followed—Buio Omega, Faceless, and the split Antefatto—before the group entered Pogo Studios in Champaign, Illinois, to track its sophomore album, Horror of the Zombies. Packed with musical and lyrical violence, the June 1992 release delivered horror-film-inspired deathly grind in the vein of Autopsy, Repulsion, and early Carcass, simultaneously repelling and captivating audiences. By late 1993, however, growing frustration with the splintered underground prompted Impetigo to disband after a final performance at the seventh annual Milwaukee Metalfest. Subsequent side projects have occupied the members, yet periodic reissues and collections such as the 2000 set Giallo/Antefatto have sustained the band’s cult status among devotees of extreme metal.