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SKULLPTURE
A Horrifying Death EP

Adirondack Black Mass (2023)
Rating: 7/10

Somewhat veterans now of the South American scene, Skullpture – who formed out of Santiago, Chile in 2009 – comes out fighting once again with a savage EP boasting five new songs and a cover of Deicide’s ‘Kill The Christian’. I was expecting a third-full length considering the band’s second opus, Reborn In Clay, came out in 2019, but this EP will have to do for now.

Daubed with a killer mix, A Horrifying Death attacks just like Deicide and so the cover rendition fits right in here. The deep barking vocal chops, the equally jabbing riffs and that evil bass and percussive slab act as perfect ingredients for what is essentially a death metal opus layered with infectious grooves straight out of the Vader book of pulverisation.

Everything about this release feels chunky, fleshed-out and simply barbaric. There is no room here for technicality, just a batch of impressive yet destructive tracks dripping with melodic nastiness and mid-tempo debauchery, as evidenced on the heavyweight shifts of ‘Devoured’ and the title track which brings in faster prods of aggression. ‘Infamous’ also showcases that deep, gnawing chugging aesthetic that comes streaked with utterly demonic vocal barks and then the sudden shift into faster patterns.

A Horrifying Death is a solid, groove-based slab that nods towards a late 90s style of death metal assault, and I’m not complaining.

Neil Arnold

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