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CRUCIAMENTUM
Obsidian Refractions

Profound Lore (2023)
Rating: 8/10

For a band that formed in 2007, to have only have two full-length albums to their name just isn’t enough. The eight year gap between this latest opus and 2015 debut Charnel Passages feels like a cold black void, and in that time only guitarist Dan Lowndes remains from the original line-up. But let’s focus on the present and the monolithic heap of cavernous death metal that stands before us.

New vocalist Chris Eakes does a fine job of growling out the orders over what is essentially a smothering atmospheric old school slab that is built upon those meaty yet humid plateaus we would normally associate with the likes of Immolation and Incantation. Matt Heffner is a monstrous drummer who builds a dense wall of aggression which rebound off the robust riffs, while Lowndes operates well alongside fellow axeman Dan Rochester, where their exchanges are stuffy conjurations of Vomitory, Morbid Angel and even Death in their twisted, squirming nature.

My only quibble here is that some tracks would have benefitted from a trim as too much mouldy fat seems to sit uncomfortably between the teeth. Having said that, prime cuts such as ‘Necropolis Of Obsidian Mirrors’, in spite of bloating, remain crushing and absorbent as they drag the listener in gaping pits of bubbling slime.

The real gem here though among the humid fluff is the progressive turns of some of the axe work, particularly on the bulbous ‘Scorn Manifestation’ and the gargantuan closer ‘Drowned’ where twinges of Voivod seep between the fetid cracks like oozing, tar-like gunk. The massive percussive rolls, the claustrophobic heaviness of riffage and dank atmosphere enables this record to slither like a stinking slug, so expect to be consumed by this opus. It may take another lifetime for Cruciamentum to re-emerge from their pit but for now let’s savour this pungent ogre.

Neil Arnold

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