It is as if an abyssal force has extended a cold arm out from within the underworld before latching its voracious hooks into your consciousness. A new void-lurking USA based Blackened Death Metal four-piece by the name of Sacrificial Ecstasy has arrived, bearing in their possession a two track demo offering of ghoulish musical spite.
It is apparent from the outset that the sound of the music on this release is designed to encapsulate a dark and malevolent void of some unseen magical terror. Think of the ugly, uber-evil, and otherworldly leanings of Teitanblood or Human Harvest. The tracks are dense and very dark from a tonal perspective. The initial titular song is first to pry open the scabs of this lost dimension with its complex swirling guitar compositions that stylistically remind me of Deathspell Omega or Patristic. I particularly enjoy the whisper / scream delivery of vocalist Bradley Tiffin, his colourless oration peppers the mix with a degree of jet-black fury. The rhythm section really holds its own also. The bass and percussion are very tight, and their intricate parts add a nice amount of depth and backbone to the track.
‘Wrathful Deities’ is the second track on the demo. I like the unsettling melodicism during the song’s opening moments, and I feel that this cut is considerably more Black Metal adjacent than the first. I like how the song transitions through its various flow states, angering the waves of the swirling void one moment, then delivering a more percussive and blunt force compositional attack the next. Again, Tiffin’s vocals are also particularly fun here, and his range is rather impressive. I also quite like the song’s climactic latter section with a well performed guitar solo over a charging, brisk instrumental.
With this short release, Sacrificial Ecstasy has demonstrated that they have crafted a rather well developed strain of Blackened Death Metal. I can see the band’s sound palette on this demo being the foundation for a very solid future full-length release. For fans of Teitanblood, Grave Miasma, and Impiety.
