Back in 2014 I covered this UK technical death metal outfits sophomore release ‘Penthos’ for another outlet and was taken aback by the unmitigated power the band wielded on every song. Added to that a savage performance at Bloodstock the following year cemented my affection for this band only for them to seemingly drop off the face of the earth… until now that is.

It may have been seven years since that last album but this UK act return to the scene with a third album that concentrates the aural malevolence of the sophomore and distils it into seven beastly tunes that bristle with unerring bludgeoning power. All the tracks are lengthy inflicting maximum sonic injury, each tune unveiling a menacing and wrathful intent that pours from every second. Opener ‘In Media Res’ sets the scene perfectly as the short fade-in is dutifully obliterated by this bands unique structuring and relentless approach. Their suffocating opacity ensures every riff seemingly chokes the listener to the point that you feel the whole world is closing in around you.

It is this asphyxiating cloying aura that makes Ageless Oblivion unique, utilising a technical backdrop as the riffs and hooks flow out like unstoppable magma as ‘From Ash And Sulphur’ so ably demonstrates. The claustrophobic ethos is palpable as the song’s tech elements glisten like molten obsidian penetrating through with brutalising shards.

Whilst the album has that enveloping suffocating aura, every track is shifted into hyper blasting territory that just lifts the toning slightly as the abyssal crawling sludge of ‘All Was Froze’ really caught my ear. The tsunami of impenetrability is horrifying, insanely intense as the song switches superbly into an ambient phase towards its conclusion. At times I detected microscopic tenets of post-rock through the riffing and melodies as ‘Anvil Chorus’ shows and whilst the link maybe tenuous that aspect of the riffing reappears very subtly throughout the album as this nine minute gargantuan track drifts into eeriness, unfurling a sinister sorrowfulness in places that makes the song hugely varied.

As the album progresses you get the sense that you’re submerging into a glacial fissure as the final doublet of tunes starts with ‘Cohesion’. The blasted opening is seismic, offering a swirling maelstrom of piercing guitar work that has that frigid icy style as the songs tempo dynamics swing wildly but cohesively, especially when the velocity crashes into a murky miasmic style right before the surging detonation.

The closing track of this doublet is the immense ‘Eldmessa’ beginning with atmospherics and a surreal creepiness that sees the song gathering in intensity sequentially where that post-rock decoration appears here every faintly. Offering a cleaner vocal style is excellent too as the song rotates around pirouetting tempo changes to maintain the songs momentum as it drops into an ambient section. The eerie styling works brilliantly as the expected return to brutal metal appears reinforcing the trademark density this band does so well.

Ageless Oblivion’s return is like they never went away as their third monstrous sonic demolition is matched by their unique riffing style and sense of dramatic terror.

(8.5/10 Martin Harris)

https://www.facebook.com/agelessoblivion

https://apocalypticwitchcraft.bandcamp.com/album/suspended-between-earth-and-sky