When you think of the New England region of the United States, you likely think of people too rich to ever acknowledge you (even if you’re on their side politically), and when it comes to metal, it tends to be of the more atmospheric bend. You don’t think of mental torture and black metal destruction, but perhaps it’s time to change that.

Ancient Torment, hailing from Rhode Island, have been doing their thing in one form or another for almost the past decade, and now we finally have their debut full-length “Follow the Echo of Curses” to behold. Taking on their infernal, beastly version of black metal makes it feel like landscapes burning to the ground, torment subjected on your soul. The band—vocalist Stygal, guitarists Tormentum and Apparition, bassist Czarnobóg, drummer Zealot—applies all their might to these six tracks and 42 minutes that take you apart and forever blacken their home territory forever.

“Hanging from a Dead Star” rips open, melodies raining, shrieks crushing amid a drubbing fury. Black metal spirits rise and ravage, the playing splattering guts, spirited chaos peaking and coming to an unforgiving end. “Spectre at the Crossroads” opens the blast furnace, shrieks powering as the guitars flex, agony spilling at flood levels, blazing forces pulling you under the havoc. Screams crush as the pace strangles, the leads cascading into further audio violence that is swept into the sea. “Sorrow Verses” starts in abject darkness, the vocals destroying as emotionally blistering insanity strikes. Colorful guitars dash hellish colors, the energy exploding from all seams, the keys giving off a gothy undertone, lathering in flooding punishment.

“Dejected Dreams Molested in Purgatory” is surprisingly melodic yet still gut-wrenching, grim howls and sharp shrieks pairing up, the playing bludgeoning. The pace turns fluid as shrieks rampage, the fire aggravated to mountains of ash. “Under the Guise of Virtue” lets loose and comes out swinging, guitars boiling over as the drums attack, the tempo drilling into your chest. The leads light up the sky as warbled singing drags you under the surface, the vocals taking their turn to blacken eyes before fading. Closer “Rotting Temperament” runs 8:59 and opens with corroded screams, a speedy gush, and an attack that’s channeled and vicious. Melodies spill as the drums overpower, the pace firing up harder and even feeling catchy in spots, carnage accumulating. The leads torpedo as feral screams echo, flooding the senses with final storm blasts.

Ancient Torment apply the pressure fully and ruthlessly on “Under the Guise of Virtue,” a record that can be nasty and also infectious within a matter of seconds. The band has done their job honing their craft and carving out a sinister sound in what can be a flooded world of black metal, and this album proves it. This is mean, hellacious, and completely powered by the most sinister of forces.

 For more on the band, go here: https://ancienttorment.bandcamp.com/

To buy the album, go here: https://eternaldeath.storenvy.com/products/36936707-ancient-torment-follow-the-echo-of-curses-cd

For more on the label, go here: https://eternaldeath.bandcamp.com/