With the luxury of having written this a few days ago, I have no idea what happened in the election, and really, by the time this runs, I still may not know. But for some head-clearing therapy, death metal has been an ideal antidote to calm the nerves, perverse as that sounds, and the feeling is we’re going to need ever more of it as the next few days transpire.
Likely sitting over in France and laughing as our farcical political theater are Sépulcre, a death metal force offering up their debut demo “Ascent Through Morbid Transcendence” that is being released in physical form by Invictus Productions. This band—vocalist/guitarist/bassist KD, guitarist HW, drummer JW—digs deep down into the filth and guts with their style, reveling in ugliness and chaos, and over these four tracks and about 15 minutes of run time, they leave no question as to how hard they’ll turn the screws, taking no real interest in alleviating your levels of pain.
“Intro-Sepulcrascent” simmers in noises that stew in their own juices, feeling cavernous and weird as the pathway opens to “Invocation of Plague Ridden Entit” that immediately begins with sidewinding riffs. The growls gurgle as the speed picks up and rampages, ripping through you with total chaos. The tempo stampedes heavily as guitars wail, and hypnotic tones bleed out and make your head spin dangerously. Drums engulf and spits chards of bone as the assault works its way toward “Morbid Transcendence” where guitars hang and sting before sinking the knife. Harsh growls reign as the pace explodes, and the playing smashes through the violent verses. Growls mash as the playing snarls, ripping out of the guts of a doom haze. “Drowned in Impure Semen” not only ends the record, but it’s the best song title of the week. Riffs club as the growls push through, and then the music encircles as the band keeps hitting harder. The pace is ugly and smashing, heading into humid dizziness as the guitars stream with rivers of blood, smothering violence crawls, and the growls deliver the final wounds.
“Ascend Through Morbid Transcendence” is an absolutely disgusting demo by this promising band Sépulcre, and though it’s four tracks and 15 minutes long, it’s enough to scar your psyche. This is a devastating display of massive, grinding death metal that isn’t trying to win style points and instead is here to maim. That mission is accomplished over and over on this beast, and it’s only a demo!
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/S%C3%A9pulcre-114775230366403
To buy the album, go here: https://invictusproductions666.bandcamp.com/album/ascent-through-morbid-transcendence
For more on the label, go here: https://invictusproductions.net/
Meat Mead Metal 