“Screams From The Catacombs” marks the
first EP for American death metal group Cemetery Filth. Despite being from the
USA, the band’s name more accurately reflects their sound. This release is full
of absolutely abhorrent, filthy death metal in the vein of the Finnish and
Swedish death metal scenes from the early 1990’s. All three tracks on this EP
provide a brutal offering of unrelenting riffs and aggression.
The opening song is the best track here. It
has by far the most variety in terms of the style of riffs (everything from
straightforward tremolo picking, to trills, to more standard slow Autopsy-esque
moments). Featuring a couple of guitar solos and some other lead playing, the
song shows that Cemetery Filth knows how to inject melody into their music
despite its deprived nature. Both of the other tracks largely follow the path
forged by the title track, and are nearly as convincing. “Cemetery Filth”
begins in a doomier direction than the other two songs, and is definitely the
slowest overall, but it still provides a much-welcomed burst of brutality, as
it breaks into speedier territory after a couple of minutes.
A big part of the draw to this record is
the individual performances. The vocals are disgusting, and again, show a nod
to Autopsy. While perhaps not having the range of Chris Reifert, Cemetery
Filth’s vocalist still delivers some twisted screams. This is particularly
noticeable towards the end of the title track, where you hear him roar
“screamssssssss from the catacombs!” There is not a single moment on the EP
where he fails to perform with conviction. Another highlight is the drumming. Because
death metal drumming as a whole tends to be quite impressive, it is often
difficult to distinguish between bands with a genuinely great drummer, and
those who simply have a good drum tone. The positive news is that Cemetery
Filth has both. Their drummer relies on an abundance of fills as he destroys
every section of the kit. This sound is amplified by the fantastic crack of his
snare drum, which manages to be incredibly satisfying each time it is used (and
even more so when used in fills).
Despite its release in 2014, “Screams From
The Catacombs” sounds definitively old-school. The production recalls a time
when bands couldn’t get their sound any cleaner because nobody really knew how to mix death metal in the way it sounds today. Additionally, the music is
entirely devoid of any modern influences, and one can even sense a small hint
of thrash influence at times, which remains an important factor in creating
death metal that sounds like the giants of the subgenre. “Screams From The
Catacombs” is an essential listen for anyone who calls themself a death metal
fan!
Highlights
"Screams From The Catacombs"
"Cemetery Filth"
Final Rating
4.4/5 or 88%.
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