RSS Feed


GRAVECRUSHER
Morbid Black Oath EP

Xtreem Music (2014)
Rating: 7.5/10

Hungarian quartet Gravecrusher is a relatively new band who play old school death metal, and it’s as simple as that. But, y’know what? Before you start thinking I’m going to be moaning about the lack of originality etc, you’ll be mightily surprised because debut EP, Morbid Black Oath, is one of my favourite releases within this genre in 2014.

Having formed just two years previous in 2012, the band embarked on recording a demo entitled Mutilation Ritual, which consisted of three very good and heavy tracks. Those three tracks feature as bonus material on this EP which in total runs for a few minutes over 20, and fuses some European styled death metal with a solid framework of American influence.

In spite of the clear influences from those popular scenes, this EP is not a tired affair as so many others seem to be; instead, the group injects a healthy dose of energy alongside the burgeoning morbidity so that the songs run fluently with those macabre riffs and brutal death grunts. The barks of anguish emerge from the throat of Revenger, who has a vintage growl about his ways.

Musically, the rest of the band mixes hurtful faster passages with gloomier slower parts, the overall feel being one of dense quality, giving this a musty air. Drummer Mutilator holds the ship steady with those massive blasts, which are as formidable as his horrid moniker suggests. Those hasty beats run in tandem with the crushing guitar assault of Disemboweler and Disguster; leads flail and riffs splatter right across the board, the resulting rank odour being something akin to a vile hybrid of Deicide, Gorefest, Unleashed and maybe a hint of Autopsy’s slower acts of cannibalism.

All the tracks are top notch, from opener ‘Triumph Of The Undead’ through to the deathly charge of the title track, and that trio of demo recordings slapped on the end for added crust. The best of the bonus tracks is the sinister rush of ‘Deranged Massacre’, which features a killer hook that worms its way through the corpses like a deadly virus keen to munch on what is left clinging to bone.

But no matter where you look, Gravecrusher live up to their name; they provide some truly punishing slower tempos, which evoke images of steaming tombs. The crushing element of their moniker is always evident, whether in the form of Chaosprayer’s deadly bass plundering or the guttural attack of Revenger. And while the members themselves may have some of the cheesiest names in the current death metal scene, their music is to be taken very seriously, because it’s lethal.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share