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SEPREVATION
Consumed

Self-released (2014)
Rating: 8/10

Consumed is brought to you from the hellish shores of Bristol! Seprevation is a rather classy British quartet who I’d not heard previously, despite these guys forming in 2011. Previous to this ten-track full-length debut, Seprevation had been responsible for a 2012 EP, entitled Ritual Abuse.

I have to admit that when I saw the press release which mentioned that these guys were “true to the 80s and 90s masters”, I had my reservations. After all, just how many contemporary bands are more than happy to steal / pay homage to bands like Death, Possessed, Venom, Slayer, Metallica etc. only to sound like vastly inferior mimics with no clue as to how to wear their influences on their sleeves and sound so insincere?

So the big question in my mind was, “Are Seprevation mere great pretenders or a good band with understanding of the old school”? Well, upon first listen, I’d go for the latter because this is an extremely volatile death metal album which also bridges the gap between this style and thrashier aspects.

Only the more recent Vektor records have gotten me so similarly excited, but Seprevation’s style is very much rooted in the early 90s death metal scene, especially in the chesty vocal horrors of Lluc Tupman who also batters the crap out of his bass strings. When one considers that these guys have toured with all manner of extreme metal acts, ranging from Gorguts to Exhumed, it’s no surprise that people are turning heads in order to snatch a listen to this debut full-length release.

From the brutal slaying of opener ‘Divine Devastation’ the band are immediately on the ball, caving in craniums and severing flesh as in nightmarish fashion they lay waste to all who stand in their way. Strangely there’s not much of a British flavour about it, but it’s still brutal, whether in the form of Jamie Wintle’s harmful percussion or the crushing guitars of Ian Aston and Joss Farrington.

The axe-team seem just as influenced by the likes of Death as they are Cancer, but this is fast, heavy and chaotic from start to finish as displayed with the blood-spattered barrage of album closer ‘Between Two Worlds’, which injects some nice subtle touches of melody that are reflective of Death, Atheist et al at their most progressive.

‘Servants Of Suffering’ begins in true vintage Slayer style but again the bass is impressive, hinting at Gorguts in its unpredictability and complexity in that it strays from the initial rigid format of brutality to inject its own cavorting quality. To call Seprevation a thrash band would be extremely unfair because although the vocals do shift into dryer tones, for the most part this record veers more towards the death metal void, but just like extreme metal masters Sadus, Seprevation twist perversely between more guttural episodes and those caustic segments which made the Californian cult metallers so vicious.

Of the ten tracks on offer, my favourites are the juggernaut that is ‘Sarcophagal Chamber’ with its technical prowess, especially between the guitar and bass, the fleeting ‘Dreams’ with its melodic yet jarring opening and the fistful of fury that is ‘Sea Of Thoughts’ with the interesting variation within the vocal department.

Overall though, this is an album that muscles its way through the wars from beginning to end and becomes a relentless assault comprising of striking bass-lines, some staggering guitar work, catchy hooks and above all the ability to thrash to the point of stripping the flesh from the face. Yes, it is an album that marvels at the original Gods but it is also one with enough razor-sharp swagger and aggression to leave you gagging for more. Consumed you will be!

Neil Arnold

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