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Spooky Fingers 2

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 July 2 2008 at 03:00:36 AM

Ascended, Ignivomous, Grand Magus, S.V.E.S.T...

"Submit to insanity." The advice from Finland's Ascended is not to be treated lightly or, as luck would have it, taken voluntary. Do or be made to. The group's monstrous demo, The Art of Necromancy, was self-released back in January on a limited number CDR that plays like a tonic and perhaps holds greater promise for the future. Trudging, melodic Death Metal (Amorphis, Demigod, even a bit of Bolt Thrower) that leads with a cold grip out of the cemetery’s foxfire and into dank cellars filled with creepy, iridescent leads, abominable churns and the requisite slimy vox. Nothing fancy, but if they can imitate and combine these elements so precisely at this stage then there’s still hope for something truly special down the road.

Not to be outdone, Ignivomous's MLP, Eroded Void of Salvation, out since February on NWN, sees the band slowly adding to their repertoire with two new tracks + intro that continue on the burning path with vocalists Jael Edwards's Dolan-esque, brow-bent prejudice heaped upon aggravated drums, creeping bass lines and arch rhythms harnessed from almost comical absurdity. Side 2 leads off with a “Weak God Withers,” a surprising appraisal of the Templar Knights vis-à-vis religious platitudes. Both tracks remain crude and highly imitative, but are compelling in these small doses as a retreat from Death Metal’s overly synthetic forms. A full-length is still in progress.

Meanwhile, after listening to Nostradamus all of last week, Grand Magus's latest, Iron Will, provides a more bare-bones and thoroughly pummeling approach to Heavy Metal, made better by new carriage-toppler Sebastian and more than a few affectionate nods to Mob Rules. Needless to say, Sabbath has been in rotation every day since. Besides that, there's a fucking werewolf on the cover (Arik Roper) and a song entirely about The Shadow. I think the best part was that the voice during the title track's chorus sounds exactly like those metallic stormtroopers in Gandahar.
 
Straddling a line of content more majestic and visceral is S.V.E.S.T’s exhausting masterpiece, Urfaust. A now rare, but mandatory item for those searching for Black Metal that can still operate outside of the genre’s "traditional confines," without having to get a stupid haircut.

[Todd DePalma]


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