Death metal is a sickening and weird thing, and it’s also a beast that’s constantly transforming into new forms as resistance exists that wants to halt all progress. But it’s too late to turn back now, and as time goes on and artists come up with new ways to express the worst traits of humanity, death metal will continue to take on new forms, though the barbaric stuff will exist just fine.

North Dakota’s Maul is one that isn’t content with regurgitating the sounds that have terrified for decades now. We experienced that on their devastating debut record “Seraphic Punishment” last year, and that spills into their bloody, yet weird new EP “Desecration and Enchantment.” These four tracks (we only got to hear three as one song is strictly for the cassette release) continue the band’s penchant for cosmic horrors and the existence of alien synth and other elements not expected from a death metal squadron. The band—vocalist Garrett Alvarado, guitarists Anthony Lamb and Al Nicholas, bassist Mike Griggs, drummer Robby Anderson—gives you just enough of a taste of what they do so well to get you excited for what’s to come and send newcomers going through their back catalog with great hunger.

“The Sacred and the Profane / Hovering, Sinking” begins with an ugly death toll being paid, drilling as detached weirdness wells, and strange speaking sends chills down your spine. Suddenly, mauling filth takes over, rattling cages as the guitars sink into ashes, and then the chugging becomes a primary factor leading you into a storm. Growls retch as the guitars steam, increasing the temperature as everything slips into a strange aura, spacey weirdness swimming through your brain. “Disintegration of the Soul” glimmers before growls lurch, and the crunch begins to sicken. The playing charges and basks in the heaviness, taking on viciousness as the guitars pick up the speed, gushing and melting into some cleaner strains that wash over the background. Quiet keys murmur before the next gust attacks, shrieks tear holes through chests, and soloing blazes with high energy. Crazed howls strangle, the panic hits a high point, then everything mercifully dissolves into light.

“Desecration and Enchantment” might be appetizer size, but it provides a mammoth introduction to anyone who had yet crossed paths with Maul. This compact powerhouse is equally brutal and mesmerizing, providing ground for this unit that is another seeking to expand what we know and understand about death metal’s possibilities. This is an exciting, devastating bridge into what comes next, which is likely to push our brains to capacity once again.

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

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/maul

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/