Azatoth is an elite heir to Finland’s cult Death Metal legacy. They present us with a suffocating descent into a cavernous abyss with their debut full-length ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy’. Fans of Demigod and Incantation will find plenty to appreciate here, as the band combines the best of both worlds in this album with their own sense of shock and awe.
This theatrical masterpiece demonstrates how haunting darkness can be. Beneath the layers of all the putrid melodies that dominate the album’s character, the guitars shift between dissonant passages and crushing rhythmic patterns which altogether gives the album a dynamic, blackened edge. Its riffs crawl through foul, subterranean pathways that reinforce a carnal and light-devouring dark environment.
The vocalist also complements the instruments exceptionally well by using hypnotic, chanting growls that alter the listener’s state of mind and deepen the album’s mystical atmosphere. This wouldn’t be possible without a production that keeps all the layers of the instruments consonant and prevents them from becoming muddy. Together, these elements create a primordial outlook that feels feral in spirit and occult in nature.
The overall tone of the album is dark, terrifying, and bestial, and it does not rely on atmosphere alone to sustain its appeal. Azatoth balances bestial savagery and fierce precision with a remarkably tight performance and memorable hooks. Having already unleashed two demos, an EP, and a split, Azatoth has finally arrived at their first full-length with their most formidable offering to date. ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy’ stands as the band’s magnum opus, a distinction it shall retain until they conjure something even more monstrous from the abyss.
