Tasty this. Belfast death metal band Rex Shachath follow up 2012’s ‘Sepulchral Torment’ EP with their…. second EP ‘Revocation Of The Blood Elect’. I’m happy to say it pretty much follows in the heavy old boot prints of the first record.
The EP kicks off in a suitably brutal manner with ‘Atonement through Atrocity’ which is a killer blend of Cannibal Corpse savagery and Morbid Angel technicality. A belting track which sets a high standard for the rest of the EP to follow. And ‘Impious Axiom’ does a good job with that. Not quite as bruising but faster than a greased ferret and with a really good vocal performance from Dave Connolly.
The title track starts off a bit….dull then hits its stride with some juicy little time changes and a crushingly heavy main riff. There are a lot of ideas going into this track and I get the impression the band wanted to make a bit of a death metal epic… and they do a good job but apart from that riff it lacks a bit. Only a bit mind.
‘Within The Temples Of Disgust’ is up next. Bit more straight forward this, and features a guest vocal spot from current Extreme Noise Terror & ex The Rotted / Gorerotted frontman, Ben McCrow. I’ve always really liked his vocals and they contrast well with Dave Connolly’s here. Ben sounding very much like a young Max Cavalera against Dave’s more trad Corpsegrinder style barks. It’s a short, aggressive song with a punky vibe to it and my fave on the EP.
EP closer ‘Colossus Rise’ is a fine track which reminds me of Dyscarnate with its punishing rhythms and atmospheric leads.
Overall this is a really good effort. Nothing truly stellar but a solid death metal release. The production is bang on and the record definitely packs more of a punch than their first EP but it does lack a bit of the Swedish DM style groove that was apparent on their first release.
More than worth checking out.
(8/10 Mark Eve)
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