Wednesday, 27 February 2019

Ravenous Death - Chapters Of An Evil Transition


Labels: Memento Mori
Formats: CD
Release Date: 05 Feb 2019

Tracklist:

1. Prelude To Evilness
2. Doomed To Exist
3. Harvesting Hate
4. Evil Dementia (The Voices Of The Nobodies)
5. Awakening Of The Damned
6. Cursed Origin
7. Initiation Ritual
8. The Sinister Being
9. Massacre Cult
10. Soul Consumes By The Occult

A death metal band from Mexico, with a name taken from a Vomitory song! That's exactly what you get from Ravenous Death. They've been spewing out blasphemic death metal since 2016 and this is their debut full-length, which follows their 2017 EP "Ominous Deathcult". "Chapters Of An Evil Transition" was released digitally and on cd via Memento More earlier this month. Something tells me this is going to be rad!

At this point you’re nearly over the hump, so why not being your descent into the weekend with some ripping death. Ravenous Death promises a lot but if you’re anything like me, you never quite know what you’re going to get with death metal anymore. Thankfully, this is old-school worshipping in the best from as the menacing riffs and growls of Prelude To Evilness pull you in. There’s definitely a nod towards the usual suspects but there’s also some Mexican heat too! Doomed To Exist is the first full assault from the band and it’s fast raw drumming is immersed within sludgy, atmospheric bass/guitar work and low growls. It’s technical but not overpoweringly so, which means it’s a pleasing listen.

The sound here never quite crosses over into death-thrash or black-thrash territory, but it does threaten to on Harvesting Hate. It certainly has that underground nastiness to it. I suppose Incantation might be a good comparison (if I was to pick one) or maybe even Morbosidad possibly. A healthy slab of lead work leads you onto Evil Dementia (The Voices Of The Nobodies), which is equally as horrid, especially thanks to some Slayer-esque riffs and rasping screeches. It’s at this point that it feels like Ravenous Death are really starting to grow in confidence on the recording. 

Things get even gloomier on Awakening Of The Damned, as Ravenous Death settles into their stride and really goes for it instrumentally. This is the best song on the album yet and it shows a new side to them with twin-melodies and greater layers of sonic savagery. Their tempo seems to get faster again at this point too with Cursed Origin continuing that trend. It’s just straight-up raging. There’s a different approach to atmosphere during Initiation Ritual, which is both experimental and oddly festering at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fast but there’s also a whiff of pungent doom/death in the air, though it is subtle. 

That doom/death aura takes more of a hold during The Sinister Being, with it’s opening mix of deep and trebly guitar. Again, the drumming seems to play at double time compered the guitars but that’s what gives it an edge and one that’s sits really well. The vocals are back to their deep glowing beat and there’s no escape. Penultimate song Massacre Cult underlines why this record is so enjoyable by being unpretentious and fun (if death metal could be considered so). It also shows off the variation levels that sit within RD’s music, which is more obvious if you sit and really take it in as a whole. In what seems like the blink of an eye, you’re head-banging to the bars of final song Soul Consumes By The Occult

This is a cracking death metal record by a band that’s really still finding their feet. Ravenous Death rules and are certainly going to be putting Mexican extreme metal on the map this year! Lend them your ears. 

If you're in Mexico you can buy "Chapters Of An Evil Transition" on cd and digitally below:-



If you're anywhere else in the world head to Memento Mori - http://www.memento-mori.es/store.php.

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