Horrifying Italian death metal is on offer here, courtesy of a trio of musicians whose self-titled debut EP is situated firmly in the sewerage side of slimy death metal. With three original tracks and a cover tune this is a gnarly release, saturated in monstrous and hideous music that fans of old school Swedeath will totally adore, like I did. As a three piece they certainly create a racket topped off by the inhuman vocals by Lorenza who also plays guitar I believe here. Now why am I focused on the vocals, well that’s because Lorenza is a woman and she veritably annihilates many with the depth of her voice but most importantly just how guttural she delivers. Adding to that the drum work and bass enhance the asphyxiating terror that these songs produce which kicks off with ‘Carved Into Obscurity’. The buzz saw guitar sound feels like you’re being dismembered as the opener possesses a dread like aura via the guitar work and blanketing bass, coupling that to the drum demolition means you have a song that is earth shatteringly effective.

With a cool riff to begin it, ‘Spawned In Desolation’ has that air of menace, threatening riffing backed up by an encompassing ominousness that proper death metal should have, as the production afforded here is monumental, not too clinical, just a wholly pulverising approach as my death metal rolodex had me scribbling down the likes of Putrevore and Paganizer as suggested similar bands, but I could list a paragraph of them though. ‘Left Unknown’ ends the EP’s original tracks before the cover, and here we get a continuation of the grisly onslaught this band does exceptionally well, though offering a slower stance initially. The cavernous vocalisations really augment the tune, being in the doom-death vein rather than pure death metal, but the results are superb all the same. When the blast arrives it injects huge momentum, lifting the atmosphere from a slithering crawl to energised ferocity.

Closing the EP is a track titled ‘Slumber’ originally by Swedish deathsters Nirvana 2002, whose short-lived existence released some very tasty demos indeed. Dead Chasm’s version is easily a match for the original and of course boasts a better production and even if you like the lo-fi approach of the original this is a cracking version all the same with it having more clarity without loss of power.

This is a great EP and one old school Swedeath fans should pick up as you will not be disappointed by the gutter trawling filth it purveys.

(8.5/10 Martin Harris)

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https://fda-records.bandcamp.com/album/dead-chasm