Desecration begins for Ashen Tomb.
Formed in Finland in 2021 by Ilkka Johannes Laaksonen (vocals, God Disease, ex-Virulent Life), Roni Oksanen (guitar, Hiidensurma), Joonatan Mäkinen (guitar, Inequity), Valtteri Viro (bass, ex-Virulent Life, ex-Inequity) and Karhu Kuru (drums, Clactonian), the band signed to Everlasting Spew Records for the release of their debut album, Ecstatic Death Reign.
The album begins in pure violence with Body Bog, on which the musicians immediately unleash their full rage with a fast-paced rhythm section packed with screeching harmonics and massive screams. Even if a few passages are relatively slower, the mix remains extremely aggressive, as does Catharsis Through Torture, which offers a few touches of technicality but is anchored in a thick Old School approach and complemented by abrasive harmonics. The track accelerates one last time, then gives way to Ecstatic Death Reign, which is slower overall but also more disquieting, thanks in particular to its dissonant lead guitar and two floating moments. The latter leads into Anamorphosis, where pure, unbridled violence resurfaces without warning, but the band also reserves a haunting, catchy break where the intensity may be different, but it doesn’t descend to the noisy final. We continue with Ancient Tombs Sealed With Dead Tongues To Preserve The Hidden One Slumbering In The Bowels Of The Earth (Mummified In Cavernous Darkness) where slowness and oppression once again greet us, but the riffs regularly ignite, varying the assault’s pace. A chaotic solo and a suffocating slowness carry us to the last gasp, then Cave Of Staring Eyes takes over, trampling us with crushing waves interspersed with mysterious notes as the vocalist roars. Heartworming adopts a similar approach, keeping to the infernal saturation and adding a few catchy passages before pinning us to the ground, leaving In Death, A Whisper to pick us up with wilder riffs at a much faster tempo, although a break is provided to slow the musicians down, who only stir during the solo before their sound dies in the feedback.
Although very young, Ashen Tomb offers Old School Death Metal with an identity marked by brutality and oppressive slowness. Ecstatic Death Reign is an extremely high-quality debut album that bodes well for the future!
90/100
