Pneuma Hagion is an American Black/Death Metal outfit hailing from San Antonio, Texas. They formed in 2015 and remain currently active under the Everlasting Spew Records banner. The name comes from the Greek phrase for ‘Holy Spirit’ and they debuted with ‘Voidgazer’ in 2020, the second full-length was “Demiurge” in 2022.
Pneuma Hagion specialize in no-frills, groove-driven Death Metal that trades guitar pyrotechnics for a crushing low-end assault.
Their sound channels the Morbid Angel’s mid-era atmosphere (think: ‘Gateways to Annihilation’) while incorporating Lovecraftian horror, gnostic ideas, and overtly scriptural imagery to evoke cosmic and theological dread. Both musicians play the shit out of their instruments.
‘From Beyond’ is a concise, nine-track onslaught running 24 minutes. It opens with the swirling malevolence of ‘Harbinger of Dissolution’, delivers bone-grinding breakdowns, and closes with ‘Archon’ by blasting your remnants across the universe in pure Death Metal fashion. All songs are under the three-minute threshold by the way.
It’s a whirlwind of brutal guitars, menacing vocals and blast beats, yet with precise technicality. It sounds simply inhuman totally overwhelming until the last note.
Impressive album! Fans of their earlier work and subjects to the mighty Morbid Angel sound must have this release.