Blessed by Perversion: Remnants of Existence

Blessed by Perversion’s newest album opens with “Descending to the Catacombs,� a somber instrumental that easily conjures the kind of downward journey it suggests. It’s an effective introduction for what follows because it is so somber and because it gives the listener a chance to breathe before falling completely into the darkness.

For those unfamiliar with Blessed by Perversion, the band released their first EP (Destroy the Image of God) in 2012 and their first LP (Between Roots and Darkness) in 2016. With this album, the band continues working with Old School Death Metal, but they are doing so with a little more consistency and strength. They also brought on board a new drummer (Vasilis Nanos) who brings some nice energy to the band’s overall sound. If you listen to this album, you’ll hear the influence of bands like Deicide, Morbid Angel, Monstrosity, Sinister, Obsecration, and Soulskinner, and others.

Needless to say, if you listen to this album hoping for a nice blend of American and European Death Metal, you won’t be disappointed. The music is consistently raw, powerful, and dark, just the right sound for dark and forbidden spaces. But the music isn’t just solely interested in exploring those spaces. It also draws out melodic elements in ways that give little sparkles of light in the darkness. These moments were especially effective on tracks like “Atonement Refused� and, to some extent, on “Gallery of Bones.� If you listen to those tracks and like them, I suggest listening to “Caverns of Torture.� The opening riff to that song uses some fast hammer-ons and pull-offs that give the song a wriggling or squirming quality, just the kind of thing suggested by the title. Bad things are happening in these caverns. Things end with a track called “Within Monumental Chaos� that brings all the other elements from the album together: a mellow opening, a nice riff, and music that develops into something solid. Check out the riff about 50 seconds into the song. It chugs along nicely for a bit and then cuts lose, just the kind of thing that gets listeners going. Don’t miss the guitar solo on this one.

There are lots of solid death metal bands out there and so you might not want to try something new. But these guys are definitely worth some attention. The music is raw and restless while also managing to mix things up with a little more melody, rhythmic variety, and guitar harmonies. Sadly, there’s no closing track suggesting an ascent from the darkness. I guess we’re stuck here. At least we have some good tunes to keep us company.

Track Listing:
1. Descending to the Catacombs
2. Gallery of Bones
3. Atonement Refused
4. Among the Tombs of Absent Gods
5. Caverns of Torture
6. Within Monumental Chaos

Added: February 16th 2021
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
Hits: 634
Language: english

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