ALBUM REVIEW: Mephitic Grave – Into The Atrium Of Inhuman Morbidity

The debut album of otherworldly Hungarian Death Metal mystics MEPHITIC GRAVE is set for release on May 7th via Carbonized Records, My Dark Desires Records and Nihil Productions.

Samples of storms begin the album alongside creepy clips of creaking doors and a distant inhuman chattering, hopefully this is indicative of the horrors that lie in wait. Doomy guitars and incantation-like vocals drive forth that typically odd Eastern Bloc eeriness and feeling of obscurity. The riffs have a tastefully old feeling reminiscent of bands like Necrovore while the backbeat of the drums is solid and primal, a perfect backdrop to the roaring grit of the vocals. The swirling murk of the rhythm sections occasionally gives way for some spooky lead work while staying in the general filthily drudging atmosphere that is upheld throughout the recording, a well suited approach to the Lovecraftian thematic of the band. Clearly borrowing some ideas from the Finnish old school such as Funebre and Abhorrence but with that inimitable Eastern European flare that adds further haunting malice to the music. The brutish and yet morose ambience and execution certainly feel original yet with elements familiar from the best moments of Death Metal’s history. A match that will satisfy many seeking obscure gems.

Onto the mix of the record, it is thunderous in terms of the buzzing guitars and monstrous vocals, with the pounding of drums sat in the back of the mix. There is definitely a raw charm to the production that feels very old indeed, while perhaps it may seem timid in certain parts, there is nothing but old school grit to be found in the approach of delivering this album. The slower tempo tremolo-picking and punchy drum work feels convulsive and contorted which assists the mind-fraying sense of dread that is conjured extremely well, while the doomy elements always lurk behind any ferocity with an apparent need to uphold the wondrously spectral atmospherics. This maddening, cosmic and volatile opus is truly something special and mysterious, which conceals a gem of the underground for the few whom will dare explore these forbidden and gloomy realms alongside Mephitic Grave.

A booming slab of Lovecraftian Death Metal with all of the unusual charms that were so present in the late 80s, harkening back to a time of experimentation and discovery while not feeling progressive or remotely modern. This is perhaps the sort of Death Metal that would be lost on many whom do not dig below the surface, but the ones who seek something a bit more uneasy will be ecstatic to hear such music still being made to brilliantly.