ALBUM REVIEW: Outer Heaven – Realms Of Eternal Decay

Here I review the debut album from Death Metallers OUTER HEAVEN who also include Doom Metal and Hardcore influences on their music. Released today via Relapse Records!

1. Vortex Of Thought kicks right in with eclectic, groovy riffs with guitar and bass tone that absolutely kills, the drums are played perfectly in old school fashion and the grotesquely morbid vocals just rip through the piece beautifully. The crawling grind of the song is played in a stunning old school fashion drawing from a clearly wide range of influences in the Metal community and outside such as hardcore hooks being utilised nicely. The doomy slams met with some intense tremolo riffs and stunning builds creates a luscious and intense vibe that is so damn tightly performed, excellent work on that. This opening song is some really epic, crushing and filthy Death Metal, amazing start!
2. What Lies Beneath fires in with fast, hammering drums and assaulting guitars that really punch you in the face with groove and awesome attack. The morbid vibe the vocals add to the mix works beautifully with the music that is just completely pummelling in every aspect. The songwriting is really fantastic taking both old school Death Metal and some Doom Metal elements and throwing in more modern Hardcore aggression to really make something that just decimates the listener with its ferocity. This song is really catchy and incredibly written, another killer piece, really setting the bar high.
3. Pulsating Swarm opens with much more Doom Metal riffs that stand alone and sound awesome before the full band joins elevating the dismal groove to new heights. The creeping pace of the track is really tense and extremely well created. Naturally flowing from section to section this is an awesomely smooth piece the is both bleak but also kicks your teeth in with upbeat and menacing assaults too. Some huge soundscapes epic diversity that really works to make some volatile and wonderful Extreme Metal. For stuff like this, nothing beats being unpredictable and this band nail it. Glorious musicianship and perfectly tailored production with some of the most grisly vocals you will hear make this a great song with some excellent lead work too.
4. Multicellular Savagery ferociously just tears back into things, not losing any momentum and choosing instead to just blast us with epic Death Metal. The purely gnarly groove of the music with chugging guitars and ridiculously intense drums is just killer. I love the vocalists sound that really captures the aggressive yet brittle tones, everyone is playing their part beautifully. There is both a primal hatred but also some really skilful musicianship to this release which make a perfect combination. The feeding back whammy noise sounded really cool before delivering one last bout of grinding riffs and dismally doomy breaks too. Wonderful!
5. Echoes From Beyond follows things up nicely with more sickening riffs, belching bass and relentless drums. The morbid assault on the senses is really nicely punctual with hard hitting instrumentals and some superbly forceful vocals to match. The heinously dark tones they create are done to a fine degree, with a really unique sound that I just love. The blistering music is just a prime cut of meaty Death Metal that is just absolutely fantastic. Great work on this piece, yet again!
6. Tortured Winds begins with some nice lead melodies before ripping through furiously intense grooves and just gut wrenchingly heavy Death Metal. The high speed, catatonically intense yet meticulously played music is just perfect and for me is just really refreshing, full of appeal and gives me so much faith in the future of the genre. This song just sucks you right in with its hypnotic intensity. Epic!
7. Bloodspire immediately sounds absolutely huge with more atmospheric riffs used, something new for the album which is a fantastic new direction. The precision driven guitar and bass met with such insane drum skills creates a strong and noteworthy foundation for the vitriolic vocals attack to be performed beautifully over. The gorgeous grooves of the piece are outstanding and everything just flows so neatly together regardless of how hellishly evil the music may sound. This right here is Death Metal at its best! A song filled with stunningly tense atmosphere and a drawn out menace that works wonders for the albums monolithic sound.
8. Sacrificial Evolution grinds in with riffs that follow where the last track left off, something that works well in encouraging the albums flow. The lead work is simplistic but really adds elevation and more atmosphere to the music, once more we have some incredible drums and stampeding groove. The song has a more estranged sound to some sections that are really cool but we still retain plenty of the epic tremolo riffs and forceful attack throughout. Once more Outer Heaven have really delivered the goods with this one. The bass section is amazing and is followed up by some nicely effected guitar tones that sound really wicked. This piece is so damn catchy. A must listen (well the whole album is really, but this song is certainly worth checking out for a taste if your time is limited).
9. Putrid Dwelling hammers into fruition with maddeningly epic riffs before stomping grooves and grinding attacks follow them up. This is some intensely diverse material, especially for such a short piece but everything is so well played and despite the differences in soundscapes flow really well together. The song has a really swaying and convulsive feel that sort of throws you off kilter, in a really awesome way. A piece that certainly should not be overlooked as it really added to the weird yet brilliant feel of the album as an overall piece of art while standing alone with incredible strength. This was also a great showcase of the bands technical music knowledge too. Awesome!
10. Decaying Realms is the finale for this epic release, sadly. Blistering in with killer old school chugs and ferocious melodies, this song has a stubborn feeling of wanting to pack in as much fabulous music as it can into a final piece, which I respect. The guitar work on this is insanely enjoyable to me, really soaring through the song gorgeously. The warmth of the bass tone also is a beautifully done thing meeting the ferociously intense yet well placed drum fills nicely. The vocals, as I would have hoped, offer us one last totally obliterating assault. Overall this last track is a nicely decimating last stand for the album, going out in style with all guns blazing rather than a dull outro. Brilliantly done and excellently written with so much atmosphere and tension!

First, this is some of the most refreshingly unique Death Metal I have heard this year (with quite a few other amazing releases too). Second, the songwriting is excellently done and this release just rips from start to end. A must listen for fans of old school Death Metal that is full of grooves and also includes some more Doom Metal and Hardcore elements. Uniquely diverse, huge sounding and absolutely blistering release from start to end. -8.5/10