AETHYRVOROUS - AKEPHALIC PALINGENESIS
New Zealand underground label Wrought Material takes an extremely minimalist approach to its roster, with everything appearing in true DIY fashion and analog formats ruling the kingdom. Despite the niche appeal within a nice culture, we get some ghastly and ferocious extreme audial terror to kick us in the teeth and bring us humbly back down to the rest of Civilization. Thus spoke the debut album for Aethyrvorous, a shadowy duo with ties to Grave Upheaval and Impetuous Ritual, two of Australia's most ruthless and revered modern death metal acts.
While it's been since 2009 when their demo came out and laid waste to anybody who dared embrace, that lengthy hiatus did nothing to slow down their twisted devotion to the dark arts. Each track is simply a Roman numeral with six long entries for a terse and succinct reference to what your ears are about to be menaced with. "I" gives a brief ambient reprieve to start then burts into howls of lust and fury both tortured and gutteral to pound you with. "II" does indeed have a midpaced breakdown at its center with thunderous bass for a rather doomy effect. At just over nine minutes "III" has the psychedelic motif that also often permeates the works of Impetuous Ritual. But not to fear because "IV" displays battering speed on the drums and a churning guitar fervor that probably would be ideal for the grinding of human bones. There's no peace to behold with "V" and its short distorted soundscape that immediately goes into an extremely diabolical vocal arrangement as the drumskins get bashed into oblivion. Finally as the longest track at just under eleven minutes but no less obsessed with hellfire desecration "V" is all of the things that make this style of metal hard to pigeonhole and irresistible at the same time, tempos changes abound and sorted out with such expertise to make even The Devil himself cower in fear at this madness emanating from The Land Down Under.
Undoubtedly a veritable force to be reckoned with, this monstrous debut from Aethyrvorous further cements my belief that 2024 has been one of the best years for death metal in modern times, certainly so after 2020 brought the planet to a screeching halt and set many projects and idea back while do irreperable damage to many. For this, we should be grateful, all the while seeking shelter from own our inner demons!
9/10
