Mordant Etch is the solo project of Dane Otessen, the vocalist of Reekmind. ‘Sequencing Hellish Cataclysm’ is the debut EP of this solo affair, which gives us 6 tracks of uncompromising, short and intense, filthy Death Metal, released through Night Terrors Records.
Although the songwriting is nothing out of the ordinary, Mordant Etch’s simple but crushing way of delivering this unapologetic sound stands out in this 9-minute release. All of the songs are short (and by short I mean that only one of the 6 tracks runs longer than 2 minutes) but somehow they still manage to encapsulate the essence of stripped-down yet still pummeling Death Metal. One thing that also caught my attention is the presence of the audio samples in the beginnings of the songs, which in my opinion is a staple of early grind and Extreme Metal.
Production-wise, ‘Sequencing Hellish Cataclysm’ stands out with its old school-like mix that is done in such a way that it still maintains all of that brutality that assaults the listener.
Mordant Etch’s debut EP is one of my favourite releases of 2026 so far, and I really hope that Dane Otessen will find time to continue pursuing this project because in these 9 minutes, he showed us that Death Metal is not going anywhere: it’s here to stay. Go give this EP a spin, you will not regret it.
