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MAUL
Desecration And Enchantment EP

20 Buck Spin (2023)
Rating: 8/10

Fargo, North Dakota-based Maul is without doubt one of the best death metal bands around at the moment and this new EP is just a teaser for their forthcoming second full-length album. I’d recommend picking up the cassette version of this EP as it features an extra track in the form of ‘Worshipping Self-Deviance’, so in total you would be treated to four tracks, the others being ‘The Sacred And The Profane’, ‘Hovering, Sinking’ and ‘Disintegration Of The Soul’.

If you are familiar with Maul then you know what’s coming; super-heavy death metal that isn’t afraid to offer blackened flourishes within its axe work, while frontman Garrett Alvarado remains a formidable presence with his tormented shrieks. Yes, the band is a filter for that old school death metal vibe, but Maul brings something sharper, more destructive and piercing with those pummeling rhythms.

Don’t expect any drastic changes from Maul, but ‘Disintegration Of The Soul’ does feel more expansive and there are plenty of progressive touches in the song which spans almost nine-minutes. Melodic black metal touches fuse well with the more barbaric death metal tendencies of the band, and it’s worth giving the release a lot of spins just to appreciate the layers which loiter just beneath the expected structures. Just a teaser then from the guys, but the new album should be a belter.

Neil Arnold

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