The ever reliable Comatose Music, where you can practically gorge on a diet of weekly brutal death releases, each offering their own nuances in a scene that goes from strength to strength. I’ve attended plenty of slam death events, including all-dayers, and one thing that fans of the genre never tire of hearing is the slam riff. The question of whether Colombia’s Cercenatory is any different to the battery of outfits playing this style is moot as far as I’m concerned. Fans of slam death only want to hear slam riffs, brutal bludgeoning blast beats and truly disembowelling vocals and this is exactly what you get on the bands second full length.
The band likes long song titles too as the opening intro piece has a title that takes nearly as long to say as it does play through. OK I’m jesting but the opening intro, ‘Devoured By Shadows – Annales Imminents Exilium (Intro)’, (see what I mean), unveils an atmospheric almost eerie channel down which you are eventually spat out as ‘Inquisitor Vortex Soul Torturing’ unleashes its diabolically brutal riffage and truly grisly vocal tone that I really liked, and is absolutely essential to how this genre is perceived. I’ve also seen some pretty dodgy artwork adorning slam death covers as here we get the usual gore and violence portrayed through horrifying imagery and motifs. This may be slam by numbers but the results are extremely sickening on all front as the onslaught of riffs and drum work show no abating even if they do like to add the occasional ending soundbite. ‘Through The Deep Thoughts Of Tartarean Sadistic Cannibalism’ follows the main opener and far from easing you in the band unloads its torrent of sonic abuse from the off, as that cavernous vocal sound is one that South American bands do so bloody well.
I imagined every song title as being some sort of sonic rendering of what is going on in the cover art as ‘He, Who Stands Upon Holy Corpectomies’ continues the albums veritable bulldozing affray. I’d be lying if I could decipher one tune from the next on the album, indeed a lot of slam is extremely similar, hence its attraction as this track sees some vocal variations in tone like being tortured. As a sort of title track ‘Into The Goresphere’ affords no signs of changing, in fact I’d say the intensity escalates as does the speed of the drumming alongside those grisly vocals which seem to possess their own density in the sound. When the band does slacken off the speed the grooving gutturalness is plainly evident as fans of slam can wield their hammers in delight.
‘Crucified, Gutted, Desecrated’ has an opening sample of noises and rumbles with some screams for added measure. I like how the song starts as the tornado of riffs and blasting add in some higher end vocal elements even if only briefly. The song is one of the most brutal here, on an album that is 33 minutes of unmitigated ferocity as the tune drops the speed into an abyss to unleash the slamming onslaught that ensues. It is an obliterating and annihilating assault in all departments as ‘Macabre Trepanation Orgy In Hell’s Dungeons’ offers a slight deviation in how it starts with saturating drum fills before the song devolves into sonic depravity. Closing the release is four minutes plus of pulverising mayhem called ‘Phalaris Bull Seraphic Extermination & Infinite Carnage’ where the opening slam riff and gurgling vocals shove the song into blasted realms. You cannot escape the feeling that this Colombian act is out to completely beat you to a pulp and for that I am extremely grateful as whilst the songs are very similar to each other they do have their nuances particularly on the drum front which for the most part just crush the living shit out of you.
One for slam and brutal death metal fans alike, it does exactly what you want it to do, nothing more nothing less and that is all good with me.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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