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FUMES
Stellar Murders Upwards EP

Self-released (2022)
Rating: 7/10

Not to be confused with the Canadian death metal act of the same name, this band of mercenaries is in fact a Mexico City black metal entourage. This is their debut offering and a brief glimpse into their hellish world of horrors as we get slapped by two tracks and sandwiched in-between is a short instrumental interlude.

Opener ‘Pleguestorms’ has a punky vibe in its guitar tone and also touches upon black / death nuances, but for the most part the track just exists as a clanking, rambling expression of hatred and thorny chaos led by the vocals of guitarist Alanís I. who brings extra beef to his tone so as not to drift towards too much of a black metal squawk.

‘Dead Morning Star’ is as equally primitive, only faster and more archaic as its drums hammer and guitars squirm in typical black metal dissonance. There’s nothing new here, but it is cavernous, remote and harmful to your health and will provide a perfect soundtrack to those frost-bitten visits to ancient forests of a night.

As often with releases like this, Fumes don’t really give too much away but I look forward to a full-length release and I’m very interested to see if any shifts to a mid-tempo structure will be present as I feel that the true evilness of their sound may benefit from such occasional alterations.

Neil Arnold

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