ninehertz

Through our new release podcasts together, I am subjected to a fortnightly task of familiarising myself with Mike's choices, often with gnarly death metal tapes with a sound as if recorded from the room beneath. Signs are it is rubbing off, as I can't get enough of this demo by Undeath.

It begins with Unadorned Coffin, momentum achieved through a sheer shuddering vibration, it blasts and blurts with a frenetic explosive power in every direction. Ineffable Tumult is the same, like they're struggling to contain an unstable energy source, galloping riffs driving them when they manage to grab a semblance of control.

When they do calm things, on Perverted Self Reflections, it is worse for it, competent but plodding death-doom. The best is saved for last however, with Archfiend Coercion Methods, which manages to harness the wild force and ride it at pace, with some delicious death riffs suddenly appearing, adding in technical beauty to the raw mess otherwise bathed in.

A rancid death metal demo, attractively raw and seemingly uncontrolled, but all done with a skill to bring these seeming rampant and un-cohesive elements together to a record that is a lot of fun.