Photo by Artur Tarczewski

It was just last week that we were talking about bands that stretch their sounds into new terrains to expand upon what people think is possible in metal. But let’s not forget the ones that keep the fires burning with the hatred and violence that brought so many people to the dance in the first place and keep them facing the flames.

UK-based blackened death crushers Lvcifyre have kept their aggressive, devastating sound razor sharp over their 12 years together, and they’re finally back after a five-year wait with a flesh-scorching new EP “Sacrament” that is 23 minutes of molten hell we’ve not gotten a taste of since 2014’s molten “Svn Eater.” The band wastes no time rekindling the horrific spirits they conjured over their two full-lengths and their time ravaging live crowds, as they sound as bloodthirsty and channeled as ever before. This new release offers five tracks (one is a cover of a classic cut from Polish maulers Kat) that stings, stymies, and strangles, a perfectly portioned EP that should leave you craving that third full-length once it’s over. The band—vocalist/guitarist T. Kaos, bassist Cvltvs, drummer Menthor—ravage you mind and body, leaving exposed wounds untreated and psychological scars that won’t soon heal.

“The Greater Curse” starts the record with strange noises, animalistic growls, and the song slowly beginning to agitate. Then death erupts and the band pummels without relent, a beastly fury sprawls, and the track trudges and thrashes madly. Vicious growls mix with dizzying guitar work, while the track hammers, mixes into a strange sound bath, and churns out into the dark. “Death’s Head in Crown” has the bass slowly hulking and warped vocals sending chills, while things turn toward muddy death. The riffs slay, slurry pain is delivered, and the cries echo out before the song succumbs to echo and fades.

“Shadowy Wing” is a quick 1:29 burst that has guitar hypnotizing, weird wails, and a total death assault bursting and spurting blood. The title cut dumps black misery before a hellish attack is mounted, and the Earth buckles beneath its weight. The ferocity destroys everything in front of it, as the death swallows everything whole, the drumming bashes in skulls, and a killer riff arrives toward the back end and clobbers you before you have a chance to catch your grip. The EP ends with their cover of “Morderca,” which was on Kat’s 1986 album, “666,” and that the band gives a punishing treatment. You still get a sense of the original’s heathen glory, but with a modern dose of hellfire dumped all over its corpse.

Lvcifyre practice the art of savagery as well as anyone, and “Sacrament” is a twisted reminder of what this band does that twists our brain tentacles. This is a psychotic, warped display of power that never relents, and its power is obvious and unavoidable once it starts barreling down the hill toward you. This is the definition of hellish art, music that’ll corrupt the mind and body, leaving you hurtling toward physical and mental damnation.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/Lvcifyre

To buy the album, go here: http://www.darkdescentrecords.com/store/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.darkdescentrecords.com/