Envenomation Records 2010
1.Into The Godless Chambers 2.The March Of The Cattle
3.Kings Of Infinite Space 4.Towards Infinite Planes 5. War 'til Death
6.March Onward/Celebrating Impending Chaos
7.Wandering Through The Wood 8.A Gruesome Relic Of Death And Decay
Ice cold screams and harsh frozen riffing opens up ‘Into The Godless Chambers’ all with an over-riding sense of melody. The slower beginning to this track almost acts as an intro before a barrage of blast beats and fast tremolo picked guitars set a blistering pace, the sense of melody retained in amongst all the speed. Swathes of melodic lead guitars make for a haunting atmosphere and sit comfortably amongst the harsh black metal. Vocals remain typically Black Metal, scathing and screamed, drenched in echo and this only adds to the atmosphere being created. ‘The March Of The Cattle’ starts where the opening track left off, blasting in at a furious pace. The tempo to this track is unrelenting, the drums absolutely blasting along to the guitars, brutally outstanding! Lead guitars again used to great effect, melodic and very catchy. A slight industrial section ends the track on a high, bringing new ammunition to the bands sonic arsenal.
There is a sense of groove to ‘Kings Of Infinite Space’, the pace being slowed down slightly to allow the song to open up and show off the bands more melodic side.The lead guitars taking over the song and adding a really mournful edge to the track. However, blast beats and scathing riffs are re-introduced to return the track to the familiar Black Metal sound. Tempos continue to be varied throughout ‘Towards Infinite Planes’, the mix of slow to mid-paced and all out blast working well. An air of chaos then ensues, a sense of the band being ‘right on the limit’, the faster sections as brutal as you will hear from a UK band at the moment. ‘War ‘Til Death’ starts with the bands now trademark melody, sounding a lot like Sweden’s Naglfar which is also a reasonable comparison for all of the previous tracks. The band also begin to show off their technical abilities here, time signatures chopping and changing back and forth before releasing the bands slower, doomier moments. The chorus of “War Til Death” being screamed relentlessly over this slower section and making for an excellent finish to the song. There is alot of variety, but it all makes perfect sense and produces a captivating atmosphere. ‘March Onward / Celebrating Impending Chaos’ sees the band at their most melodic. Acoustic guitars and spoken passages introduced alongside samples and simple minimalistic drumming. The track is 6:66 long, an evil coincidence perhaps? Probably planned, but it gets the thumbs up (read horns high) here!
‘Wandering Through The Wood’ as with several of the previous tracks, mixes tempos from slow and melodic to ice cold blasts of brutality. The faster tempos are absolutely punishing and make the band sound even ‘more Black Metal’ because when the slower riffs are introduced you can hear a slight death metal influence, mainly due the heaviness of the guitars. Closing this cd is ‘A Gruesome Relic Of Death And Decay’ and what a fitting finale this is, seeing the band at their most brutal. The pace is utterly relentless, the drums a highlight here as well as the vocals which are fuelled by hate and malice and delivered with absolute conviction. The whole cd shows a band dedicated to their instruments, delivering some absolutely first rate and outstanding Black Metal, as good as you are likely to hear from anyone in the Black Metal genre currently. A real gem in the UK scene with a cd that can’t be faulted, PGM really should be on your playlist and you should own a copy of this cd. Absolutely recommended
9 out of 10
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