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ATAVISTIC DECAY
Demo MMXXIV (2024)

It might be too soon to say, but I really do think this could be one of the best demos released this year. Cosmic death-doom is what is causing the heavens to shake here as Indianapolis, Indiana-based Atavistic Decay serves up four staggeringly heavy tunes that not only blot out each twinkling star but also create a suffocating otherworldly atmosphere.

As the opening chimes of ‘Oracle Of Death’ announce this demo, one succumbs to the cosmic dragging that results from those heaving yawning riffs. It’s difficult to escape the cold rush of dank air that seeps from the depths of this bowel removing dredging. Every fibre of this demo tingles with a dread even with those faster flurries as the trepidation and unnerving gales persist and act as sodden blankets of gloom.

The repugnant rolls of the churning ‘Black Mists Of An Eternal Nothing’ act as grinding ambles from some fetid, boiling void. Those consistent vapours of doom remain, but of the grittiest, most squalid design that at any moment incorporate a murky death metal outburst.

In a sense, this is a demo that is somewhat typical of today’s boggy yet cosmic scene and I’m fine with such grim expressions which paint pictures of galactic quagmires and deep, extraterrestrial trenches from which no recognisable life can survive within.

For those of you interested, the demo is available here.

Neil Arnold

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