Any time you can put on a death metal record and instantly think it’s a declaration of war, that’s an experience you don’t forget. The power coming at you with a ferocity that explodes from deep in the guts can make your blood boil and motivate you want to pick up arms yourself to fight the good fight.
Canadian death metal horde Hedonist land in death metal’s pantheon with “Scapulimancy,” their flesh-pounding first record that could have slid into place in the early 1990s and been right at home. This record is a destroyer, 10 tracks of raw, feral death metal that can stare down any force in its path and never blink. The band—vocalist/bassist AJ, guitarists JP and AA, drummer CB—wastes no time unleashing hell and pouring it in generous amounts as they scorch flesh and dump napalm in alarming portions. The album is punishing from the start, but subsequent visits unlock even more torment and animalistic fire, making this incredibly sticky as well.
“Execution Wheel” absolutely obliterates the senses when it dawns, AJ’s howls strangling with a killer’s might, an element that is one of the band’s most arresting. Death ravages as the guitars spill into beastly tones, and everything barrels forward the reckless abandon. “Heresy” is blinding, growls decimating, sounding nearly inhuman, the guitars standing up as a battering force with no mercy. The leads explode as the pace chugs, a hypnotic gaze conjures might, and everything burns into a cloud of dust. “Barbarian” is sickening and ferocious, trudging over bone and blood, growls sinking teeth deep into veins. The leads boil over as melody makes the path more hypnotic, the final moments breathing fire. “Abominated Void” is doomy as hell, the growls frying in the sun, the gutting power rising to the surface and blackening eyes. Guitars hang as the heat spreads, the bass chugs with deadly force, and everything bleeds away. “Parasitic Realm” starts with trickier guitars that mesmerize before the earth is scorched, deadly growls grasping throats. There’s a total Bolt Thrower worship spot that absolutely destroys, and that pushes into explosive and gutting tension that cuts open bellies.
The title track has riffs that spiral, a melodic haze that tricks the senses, and sooty growls that feel delivered from the gut. The playing tears open as the growls choke, the guitars sprawl and smother, and the final moments create utter decimation. “Engines of War” unloads guitars burning, growls slithering, and primitive pounding caving in rib cages. The playing jars loose as melodies wash over, snaking through and injecting venom before fading to dark. “Cremator” spews chugging bass and a thrashy attack that sends dust flying. The growls maim, the leads navigate through the chaos, and the end gurgles and spits out poison. “Profanation” is fast and ugly from the start, throaty howls totally commanding, infernal fury making the temperature rise dangerously. The pace blisters and tortures, taking on a bit of a D-beat feel before finally choking you out. Closer “Hidden Corpse” is mashing, aggravating flames and delivering abject heaviness. The pace is vicious as hell, riffs immersing themselves into liquified steel and coming out a new machine, shrieks stabbing, and the end sinking into molten pools.
Hedonist’s brand of classic death metal is violent for sure, always challenging, twisting into a chasm that should make your brain and body ache afterward. “Scapulimancy” is a raucous, ravaging debut record that you might find yourself indulging in over and over again as I did. This might take a few visits to really sink in, but when it does, it’s fucking over for you, and Hedonist will be your new master.
For more on the band, go here: https://hedonistdeathmetal.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://southernlord.com/store/hedonist-scapulimancy-pre-order/
For more on the label, go here: https://southernlord.com/
Meat Mead Metal 