Anyone who has at least a passing interest in the Australian Death Metal scene, or more specifically the band Golgothan Remains, will have their interest piqued by a debut EP coming out of New South Wales entitled ‘Conduits to the Underworld’. Featuring past and present members of GR, Sarcophagum have unleashed a stunning debut on cassette and CD via the ever impressive Nuclear Winter Records. A savage wedge of old school Death Metal that opens with the tantalizing ‘Pits of Hate’, Sarcophagum have that echoing sound that feels like the band were herded into the back of a deep cave in order to get the atmospherics right. (In actuality how would this even work? Where is the power supply coming from? You know what I mean though) Deep growled vocals mesh sublimely with twisted guitar leads, thundering riffs and a hostile barrage of drumming fury. On top of that there is an underlying melody with a vicious cold streak running through the core of the bands sound.
Consisting of three tracks, ‘Conduits to the Underworld’ is an EP that lives by the old stage mantra of always leave them wanting more. All three songs are very much of a oneness so any future longer format releases will need to offer up some variance, something that this EP’s finale track ‘Between Two Worlds’ certainly hints at with a much faster pace and more aggressive approach. However, this release is just the right length to really whet the appetite of any crushing old school Death Metal fans who are lucky enough to experience this. (Luke Hayhurst)
