Here I review the upcoming full length from EXTIRPATION who play Blackened Thrash Metal with some progressive twists. Release is set for 7th January via Triumph Ov Death Records!
- Awakening brings things in with eerie piano that has a really nice horror movie vibe to it. The discordant lower parts with sampling work incredibly to create a tense feeling that beautifully accompanies the more lively higher notes. This was a cool introduction!
- Into Disease fires into raw barrages of riffs, blast beats, howls and total mayhem. The ferocious assaults from the band are hideously grim and incredibly thrashy with tons of bite to the instruments and vocals alike. The song has some nice doomy touches within the upbeat furious Black Metal stampede giving it some excellent rhythm and groove. The bleaker sections are stunning and we are given plenty of interesting and diverse musicianship throughout this short song. A really killer track!
- Labyrinth Of Empty Cages follows up with blast beats kicking us into total frenzy while the grinding guitars just churn out epic yet primal riffs and the vocalist passionately and grotesquely barks out lyrics. There is a really nice old school Black Metal feel to this with its raw yet clear production and the music itself is filled with passionate livelihood. This song took a lot of more dissonant sections into a full bleak soundscape that was haunting and menacing while the faster sections were blistering and intense. Great work!
- (Inevitable) Sufferance fires us into oblivion with some nice technicality and progressive touches but no lack of bitter darkness from the more extreme elements. The warmth of the bass and drums is contradicted gorgeously by the cold guitars, all working in harmony with the vocals to create a completed package of Black Metal that is tormentingly harsh but also very pleasant sonically. Some absolutely epic material that combines sounds like Voivod with Satanic Warmaster and Deathhammer. Absolutely incredible!
- Faith Of The Parasite drives in with gruesome guitars and some epic Carpathian Forest vibes but with a more depressive undertone than expected for the fairly punky rhythm. The lead guitar work soars beautifully alongside the rest of the band, but not overshadowing anything, which I think is of paramount importance to not ruin the atmosphere. There are some nice Death style tapped sections before we are thrown into more decimating and furious Black Metal once again. There are some gorgeous Sargeist like sections that then go right into thrashing madness that catches you off guard and stays unpredictable. This song was a really cool showcase of the bands abilities, which are certainly strong!
- Stasis goes right into things with blistering 90s Black Metal riffs, intense blast beats and some gorgeous grooves that are just stunning. The upbeat pace is given some punky touches that make the piece that bit more punchy. Dissonant guitars and slamming drums add to the sheer aggression of this piece that tears you apart. There is some absolutely incredible songwriting going on here, clearly some Black Metal that while using primal elements has had plenty of knowledge and pre-meditation gone into the music. Excellent!
- Soul Pact begins with clean guitars that really caught me off guard, setting a more sombre feel to the music. This soon drops into more ferociously intense Black Metal that has plenty of thrashing drums and grinding bass, accompanied by piercing guitars and vocals. The track was jarring but in a really positive way that is perfectly unsettling but also filled with melody, something that reminds me a lot of the American Black Metal scene especially with the more melancholic touches. Another killer piece.
- A Damnation’s Stairway… has melodic guitars that drop into total chaos almost immediately. This song is far further into Thrash Metal territory but with the obvious Black Metal performance still taking place the fusion of these genres is done in a way that I just adore. The band play melodically but with a certainly primitive aggression that really works well for them. This track was absolutely blistering throughout and a fascinating listen with elements that worked incredibly well. The ending is so damn hideous, in such a loveable way! Good stuff!
- …To The Altar Of Failure is the finale of the album. The piece starts with samples, much like the first track, the morbid assaults from the band soon kick in once more with completely frantic and dissonant instrumentals, furious blast beats and the feeling that they just want to obliterate the listener one last time, which I certainly respect. This track has some cool technical flourishes but stays within the esoteric borders of the rest of the release. A fantastic song and ending to this unique album!
This is some epic Black Metal filled with progressive, thrash and melodic influences that create a totally unique sound together. Filled with aggression, dissonance and morbidity but also life, warmth and familiarity. This is some really killer material that you should not let slip under your radar. -8/10
NATTSKOG'S BLOG 