Convocation - Scars Across

Band: Convocation
Title: Scars Across
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Release Date: 30 March 2018
Country: Finland
Format Reviewed: Digital CD quality

We are ready to walk again, wobbly, towards the horizon, with fear crossing our backs and our eyes somewhat fearful, stuck in another mastodontic beast coming from my admired Finland. The earth of metal. From the thickets of these plains comes Convocation, a project of two musicians LL (Lauri Laaksonen) and MN (Marko Neuman), coming from bands like Desolate Shrine and Dark Buddha Rising, among others, to create one of the most impressive albums of Death/Doom so far this year.
These data are not minor to try to describe the sound of this behemoth. Those who know Desolate Shrine will know about the doom and highly atmospheric characteristics that go through their work. Convocation also stands out for crossing landscapes of unparalleled density with an eye always placed in a vortex of experimentation that, far from being diluted in the concatenation of dark matter of its riffs, gives a remarkable aura of etericity to the compositions. Something unique in the universe of Death/Doom.

This alchemy of epic proportions takes us on a journey for just over 50 minutes, divided into four tracks of very slow combustion, full of nuances and a death drive, sometimes close to the cosmogonic Funeral Doom of bands like Esoteric or Evoken. Although talking about comparisons is a somewhat futile exercise in the world of Convocation. This is a beast that breathes its own oxygen and walks with the certainty of knowing itself above the food chain.
The guitars, extremely leaden, are dispatched expertly. The vocals are predominantly deep growls, but what most stands out in Convocation is the use of synthesizers and organs, which overfly the work creating terribly climate-like textures, which grant a dramatic quality that works perfectly with the intentions of the band.

"Scars Across" is an album that begins to show all the heaviest and stylistically closest to the most caustic and monstrous Death Doom, although it is developing a new facet, as it progresses, reaching a level of unique disturbing atmosphere. Convocation gives us a new vision about the world of doom with Death elements, and without doubt, this is an album that we will find in many lists of best albums at the end of the year, included in mine. An incredible album, highly recommended for lovers of slower and heavier music. 10/10 Sergio





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10/10 Immortal classic

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Assumption - Absconditus

Band: Assumption
Title: Absconditus
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Release Date: 20 April 2018
Country: Italy
Format reviewed: CD-quality digital

Reddish sky, leaden, dense air. You look up and observe the last solar eclipse, like a titanic event. Catatonic. Your blood boils, but your consciousness begins to rise towards new vestiges of transfigurative calm. Assumption rises, from Italy, with its first full length, "Absconditus", to create a vortex of dark matter Death/Doom highly hypnotic and atmospheric. Notably, the band (consisting of only two people, David and Giorgio) is responsible for invoking the ancestral spirits of diSEMBOWELMENT and Thergothon (Without reaching the exasperating slowness of the Funeral Doom) to create a captivating and excellently executed style exercise.

It is fair to say that Assumption takes elements of the aforementioned influences to cohere them in a style more linked to highly psychedelic dye aspects. In a way, something that had been glimpsed in his excellent EP of 2014, "The Three Appearances." Very few current bands have managed to achieve this alchemy with the efficiency and dedication of this band. In only three long tracks (two of these exceed the 15 minutes of duration) we attend a cosmogonic mass of down-tuned riffs and deep, abysmal, gutturals that decant, parsimoniously, into sections of purely acidic and altering consciousness nature, although strangely mild-mannered. These moments of stillness remind me of a mixture of Pink Floyd with the heaviness of Esoteric. Really impressive.

They even risk introducing some flute arrangements in the second song of the album ("Resurgence", the shortest track, which works as a separator between the other two, longer and totally epic), achieving an atmosphere of heartbreaking ethereal beauty. The excellent cover art, hand-painted by the artist Lauri Laaksonen, with a mix of ominous colors, can have some symbolic meaning too, which seems to me a perfect representation of the sound of this sonic wonder.

In this we observe a silhouette suspended in a sidereal vacuum, hanging from three beams of light, or metaphoric threads, which could be the pictorial interpretation of each of the tracks that make up "Absconditus". Really, a very pleasant surprise of this 2018, by a young band, although very mature. An album that impresses by its solidity and varied sound palette, deliciously composed and recorded.
A delight for lovers of Death/Doom and psychedelic music. 9/10, Sergio


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9/10 Epic Storm

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Galvanizer "Sanguine Vigil"

Band: Galvanizer
Title: Sanguine Vigil
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Release Date: 28 February 2018
Country: Finland

The band started in 2013 as a one-man project but transformed to old school death/grind
project of two men in 2014. As a trio since 2015, Finland’s Galvanizer now come to crush,
tear and rip with ferocity.
If you love the Finnish and Swedish grinding death metal, then Sanguine Vigil is just for you.
Even better if you are a die-hard fan of the genre – this is your present heaven. The album
takes to a journey back in time to the very early 90s, and if the listener doesn’t know it’s a
brand new album, he/she can easily be misled. Sanguine Vigil has everything that the classic
Scandinavian death metal albums had some 27 years ago: the distinctive sound of the guitar
amplifiers, the overall structure of the songs, the typical riffs, the tempo and the vocals. And
on top some pulverizing modern grind moments.
With just 30.46 minutes in total for Enjoyment of annihilation, the lads from Galvanizer
present their Gorefestation in 10 solid punching tracks, leaving nothing but a dark
misanthropic Mood for the blade. The overall feeling of raw hyper-intensive constant
butchery leads to a devastating stinking Premature rot. The album definitely leaves
Unfinished autopsy work for the future which I do look forward, as well as Deathbeat deity
for all the massacre die-hards who miss this album now.
In short, with so many death metal albums around nowadays, Sanguine vigil really is hyper
solid effort for my ears. You have to buy the record, play it loud and your neighbors will
suffer a painful end for their ill curiosity. Grind till…you are dead! 9/10 By Count Vlad


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Hellish God "The Evil Emanations"

Band: Hellish God
Title: The Evil Emanations
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Release Date: January 8, 2018
Country: Italy

Hailing from Italy, Hellish God began in 2015. They have a previous EP titled, “Impure Spiritual Forces” from 2016 and now a new full length for 2018 titled, “The Evil Emanations.”
This release comes across as an older style of death metal with a modern production which has some American influences of the likes of older Deicide but also in relation to the styles of death metal like Krisiun and Sinister do as well. With a strong approach and fast changing guitar riffing and their use of speed picking, to crunchy palm muting, to choppy fast chord strikes, to swift harmonic screeching solos that appear here and there and added mid range growly vocals with occasional demonic screams ringing out, all these things combined together enforce this style of death metal that Hellish God are doing here. The militant-like drumming combines variations, from building up the intensity like at the beginning of the track called, “Qlipoth” or with small bursts of fast beats with quick drum rolls hitting in sequences, to occasional mid-paced traditional drumming parts reflecting on the older school styles or where all is going full out in total speed and aggression, pounding away and letting this raging occult inspired beast out of its domain upon us all.
“The Evil Emanations” is an intense angry and brutal offering making its stand in the long line of many death metal bands of today. Originality is never an easy task for anyone as like most bands Hellish God has its influences for certain. However, the difference is if something is more convincing or believable in its approach, then that’s what makes it stand out compared to others and I believe Hellish God are doing just that! 8/10 By Wolven Deadsoul

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