[2024-04-22]

OUT NOW AND SHIPPING!!!

DEVOTION - Astral Catacombs CD [MEMENTO-CXXXVI] The astounding 3rd full-length by this Spanish band. Devotion are an exemplary study in patience and persistence. Formed in 2012 near Valencia, the band have gone through myriad lineups, but have parceled out their recordings when the time was right, for maximum impact and immersion. Their debut album, "Necrophiliac Cults", came in 2015, but its year of release might as well have been 1993; Devotion are nothing if not devoted to the timeless archetype provided by Death Metal during its early 90´s heyday. But while many years would pass until its follow-up arrived, in 2021, "The Harrowing" was indeed aptly titled: split between "chants" and "dirges", the Spaniards put on a masterclass in putrid, mid-tempo crush with memorability for miles. Consistent yet different enough, Devotion between the two albums might´ve had power-trio and quintet lineups, respectively, but the path was nevertheless deliberate and (d)evolved. Arriving quite "quickly" for their standards, the revamped-yet-again Devotion arrive all guns blazing with their third opus, "Astral Catacombs". Another perfectly titled recording, "Astral Catacombs" is rich in atmosphere and crunch alike, taking their all-caps Death Metal one ladder-rung up and down that evolutionary scale. Their characteristic tank-rolling sound heads toward some truly vile paths here, almost bestial in its slaughtering impulses, moving ominously and measuredly despite the near-primal ferocity; on the same hand, a pronounced emphasis on their classy side arises, namely in the well-timed and well-composed soloing, but also particularly in their songwriting movement. It´s a unique balance/tradeoff that slowly-yet-surely shows stunning growth on Devotion´s part, lending "Astral Catacombs" immediate replayability to catch every (crooked) nuance and (skewed) dynamic. Put another way, we can look to the band´s primary influences of Bolt Thrower, Grave or Morgoth for precedents: Bolt Thrower´s transition from "The IVth Crusade" to "...For Victory", for example, or Grave´s from "You´ll Never See..." to "Soulless", or especially Morgoth´s from "Cursed" to "Odium". If none of that sounds palatable or enticing, then "Astral Catacombs" is not for you! Graced with suitably ethereal cover art courtesy of Naroa Etxebarria, "Astral Catacombs" crowns Devotion´s trifecta of streamlined brilliance. COFFIN CURSE - The Continuous Nothing CD [MEMENTO-CXXXVII] The highly anticipated 2nd full-length by this Chilean band. Although Coffin Curse came into being in 2012 as a side-project of Inanna´s Max Neira, it didn´t take long for the band to assert their own identity. A demo was released that same year, to be followed by a handful of EP´s and splits, all before culminating in Coffin Curse´s debut album for Memento Mori, "Ceased to Be". A fresh breath of old air, "Ceased to Be" was as exemplary of 1990 Death Metal than it was 2020 "Death Metal". In their "regressive"/elevated state of mind, Death Metal back then possessed charisma and songwriting, chops and more than a bit of madness. Maybe class, too? Compared to so much riff-salad wank that´s followed, Coffin Curse were indeed classy. Now, four years later, Coffin Curse are back to reassert that classiness with "The Continuous Nothing", which is but a logical continuation of that not-inconsiderable debut: timeless, taut and terrorizing, actual songwriting is pushed to the fore with ceaselessly catchy riffing and an abundance of haunting-the-chapel leads. Also thankfully, Coffin Curse are unafraid of displaying their influences here -Morbid Angel, Deicide and Immolation during their turn-of-the-90´s heydays-, as well as the viciousness of founding fathers Possessed, Massacre and Chile´s Pentagram, but once again, the duo´s charisma pushes "The Continuous Nothing" into the realm of inspired rather than "inspired by", as each of the album´s nine songs surges and slices with maximum memorability and quite-literally-dangerous execution. But, through it all, "The Continuous Nothing" engages because of its classic/classy songwriting and none-more-powerful production, where each instrument is organic and almost-overwhelming in its true-to-life physicality. No popcorn or punch-ins here! Once again, Daniel Hermosilla (Nox Fragor Art) provides the dark-psychedelic icing on the cake with his cover art. For those who worship such vital follow-up as "Legion", "Retribution" and "Blessed are the Sick", Coffin Curse´s "The Continuous Nothing" is for you! OBSCURIAL - Heretic CD [MEMENTO-CXXXVIII] The staggering 2nd full-length by this Malaysian band. Obscurial is one of the most promising, up and coming Death Metal bands from Asia, being spawned in the sewers of K-Hell (Kuala Lumpur) back in 2019 and breaking into the local underground scene with "Exaltation", their debut 2020 demo. Carved-up by hands informed by true old school Death Metal, these folks had already proven their mettle with their opera prima in full-length format, "Funeral, Burial and Rites" (self-released in December 2021), an album that helped them obtain more recognition and following in the underground Death Metal community, and here within the festering guts of album number two, titled "Heretic", they cement that brutal superiority with a harder, faster and even more atmospheric undertaking. Obscurial´s approach to timeless Death Metal includes gut-wrenching riffs, somber melodies and a dismal atmosphere influenced by the likes of Brain Dead, Grave Miasma, Morbid Angel, Bloodbath, Incantation, Dismember, Deicide, Grave and Darkthrone ("Soulside Journey" era). Garnished by Arifullah Ali´s mesmerizing cover art, "Heretic" is an aural force to be reckoned with.

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