In the intervening six years between this US band’s debut, ‘Abhorrent Manifestation’ and this sophomore the band has released two splits, a demo, a live album and a box set, meaning the band has been busy despite the half decade gap between full lengths. The debut full length was saturated in chaotic horror and that methodology pervades on the bands second album. What strikes you immediately about this album is its unerring sense of chaos, the utter cacophonic terror that shatters any sense of melodicism and an aura of malevolent inhumanity. It is not an easy album to listen to, in fact I’d even say it is an endurance, which is a good facet in some respects but after listening to it I was left with being completely mauled with very little to show for it.

The album opens with a short intro piece that links into ‘Abhorrent Manifestation’ which isn’t a tune from the debut just what the band has opted for as a title. At times practically tuneless the bands aim seems to be one of outright war metal, laced with grisly deathliness but hooked into some very subtle blackened elements. With such a soulless and abyssal styling the songs blur into one as ‘Ungodly Death’ follows by continuing the bombardment alongside the monstrous vocal tone that emanates unbridled wrath. All the band members are involved in multiple other projects which are too numerous to name here but comparatively the band is similar to the likes of Ghoulgotha, Degial, Immolation and Incantation, though I could name a few more. Also when you listen to this release the band clearly has loved Possessed’s ‘Seven Churches’ album, don’t we all. This primarily rears up through the deployment of squealing lead breaks, I’m sure you know what I mean, as ‘Nexus Of The Black Flame’ blasts in with a wall of absolute noise. That ethos of unstructured mayhem belies the fact that the album is highly technical, as the continual onslaught is nothing short of sonic Armageddon.

There is a sort of flow to the release too, each song following each other with a seamless precision as ‘Tantum Bellum’ unleashes a hideous barbaric intensity complete with that screaming lead work I’ve mentioned. Total carnage ensues on ‘Inverted Ascension’ and links extremely well with ‘The Curse / Enveloped In Thorns’ where the blasphemic annihilation has a corruptive rancidity. I have said this album left me with little to show for the listening experience and that is primarily down to not really identifying with any particular songs as the album has to be listened as one complete aural experience as grotesque as that is. I did like ‘Visceral Strike’ however, it has some very cool Morbid Angel like riffing stylised with a battering low end rumble and links with ‘Passage To Eternity’ by completely turning the album on its head with acoustic guitar work and a morose toning. The title track follows it and is the most expansive tune on the album, laced with blackened violence but sticking with that war metal persona I’ve mentioned, leaving a short outro as the finale to this unmitigated obliteration you have subjected yourself to.

If any of the bands I’ve mentioned tick any boxes then Ascended Dead will too, its unrelenting carnage is proof that this bunch are as grotesque as any death or black metal band you care to mention.

(8/10 Martin Harris)

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