Just when I thought I couldn’t hear any more top-quality death metal in 2021, along comes German band Rexul with their debut album. Comprising of a duo, Benny Oprea and Simon Milizia, both ex-Diabolical Imperium with the latter also from the defunct act By Brute Force, this newly formed band epitomise the old school death metal ethos, particularly from the Floridian style that dominated in the early 90s. There are no surprises here, just an album that has beastly credentials but backed by excellent song writing, as the release is bookended by an intro and outro which are called ‘999’ and ‘666’ respectively, but it is peppered with a string of cool interludes to add to the atmosphere.

After the intro we are flung headfirst into ‘Intergalactic Eyes’ as my immediate thoughts centred around really early Slayer for the riff that strips a few layers of skin off, before it deviates down the thundering deathly path laced with double kick, which infests a lot of the songs, though not continually like say Bolt Thrower did. Indeed, that rugged edge adds to the density as generally the songs have a Morbid Angel and Deicide like style without any repetition of riffs etc. Loaded with catchiness every song has a penetrating groove that continues on ‘Reentry In Emptiness’ before the first interlude appears. At times the song has an eerie persona created by the guitar work but also the way the band plunders tempo dynamics to keep everything gruesomely fresh.

After the atmospheric interlude, replete with wind and the like, we get ‘Enlightened By The Morning Star’ baring its rabid teeth as I especially appreciated the double kick rhythm they utilise to great effect. Those of us that have checked out or were around when death metal first appeared know that you don’t need to include blast beats to create something dense and heavy, and Rexul know this as the vast majority of the songs don’t resort to it, preferring to flatten the listener with a raft of puncturing riffs and melodies alongside the huge drum sound afforded for extra weight. ‘Fraternitas Of An Old Noir Latrela’ is excellent, a song that really catches the ear in a Deicide like sense, brimming with catchiness as the blast beat is deployed to great effect but still brandishing great atmosphere and exceptional lead work, something that has really been thought about here on all the songs. The lead work has that Trey or Chuck persona, though not as technically adroit, the way they weave the pieces into the songs is hugely commendable.

Interlude two is followed by the equally cool song ‘Immaculate Vengeance’ where the pace is ramped up but tempered by this bands knack to inject melody without notice. Likewise, with ‘Curia’ the awesome riff opening had me scrawling down Monstrosity because it reminded me of their mid-catalogue material. The use of pauses for dramatic effect works extremely well as the final interlude blends into ‘The Darkness’. Its frenetic approach is a little different but at the core is a grisly sawing riff base as ‘Laudation Per Mortem’ concludes the album before the ‘666’ extended outro piece. The drum fill opening works a treat, catalysing the song to notch up through the gears as the longish outro has some clichéd rain, thunder etc accompanied by acoustic guitar, ensuring you have a cool down moment.

A formidable debut by Rexul, one that old school death metal fans are certain to enjoy, with its no nonsense sonic thuggery, balanced by electrifying guitar work and bulldozing tunes; they have set the bar very high indeed for their next album.

(8.5/10 Martin Harris)

https://www.facebook.com/Rexul-118365139574029

https://fda-records.bandcamp.com/album/erebus-virtuosus-alpha