I have certainly had a glut of top quality old school death metal to review recently plus some I’ve listened to on top as US grim filled death dealers Acephalix unleash their fourth grisly offering five years after they released ‘Decreation‘. You know what you’re going to get with Acephalix and despite their sense of predictability their guttural death metal ticks all the right boxes.
The title track kicks things off and immediately the band’s crust like influences are apparent, whether it’s the buzz saw guitar sound or the riff styling it makes the band a little different within the old school sphere. There’s plenty of melody too as the opener proves and is neatly followed by ‘Godheads’ with a fine riff and sickening sonic aura as the blast beat flurries inject enveloping violence. The vocals are hideously effective throughout, resonating through a gut munching drawl that has a macabre yet distinct clarity.
Bone sawing riffs tumble from this release unabated as ‘Abyssal’ shows where the pace is dropped substantially producing that slurry filled ethos that old school deathly filth has and requires. I especially enjoyed ‘Postmortem Punishment’, its crust infusions sit brilliantly with the gnarly guitar work and dense vocalisations. Added to this whole release is Acephalix’s sense of groove, bulldozing rhythms set against the rancid onslaught that prevails on songs like ‘Innards Of Divinity’ and ‘Pristine Scum’. The former having a slow menacing approach crafted by the drum fill work and ominous vocals with a slight spoken style amidst the gutter trawling slime that follows, whereas the latter is also loaded with drum inserts and cool guitar hooks before the bombarding double kick thunders in.
‘Defecated Spirit’ also possesses a slight eeriness to it, especially with the vocal style with the slight echo as the riff and cymbal smash leads into a caustic catchiness that belies the albums rancorous approach. Closing is the slightly longer ‘Atheonomist’, and when I mean longer I only mean by a minute or so and not some sort of double digit epic. With a slow chugging riff base and some interesting vocals such as a ghoulish whisper and some spoken sections the song is a tad different as the pacing is kept within the realms of choking horror. The song doesn’t speed until the last minute where it stamps firmly on the accelerator to deliver a climactic finale making this album dedication to all those who like their death metal riddled with rancidity and grime.
(8/10 Martin Harris)
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