DEMO REVIEW: Perilaxe Occlusion – Raytraces Of Death

Canada’s old school Death Metallers PERILAXE OCCLUSION return with a 2nd demo, out via Blood Harvest Records, Debemur Morti Productions and Epidemia Records on June 25th.

The familiar chainsaw tone of a Boss HM-2 grinds into life with monolithic drums, opening the chasm with ferociously doomy atmospherics that prepare us for total annihilation gorgeously. The creeping riffs and crawling cymbals make a monstrously morbid backdrop to the hideously snarled vocals and with a murky production, the visceral Death Metal drips naturally from the crypt like some kind of cosmic ichor. Marching forward the rhythms have a tastefully catchy edge that will surely grab any headbangers while keeping things true with charnel soundscapes that never lose aggression but always value the atmospherics. The biting guitars utilise a phenomenal arsenal of riffs and then impress further with scolding leads, while the restless drums retain the punishing power that keeps the demo firing on all cylinders, even in the slower sections. The swinging grooves, ethereal doom moments and total blasting carnage all comes together gorgeously across the 3 songs in a concise yet not rushed manner, dealing death blows with striking precision. Taking cues from the Swedish and Finnish legends, combining sheer force and ferocity with eldritch atmosphere then concocting something new and potent, “Raytraces Of Death” is one hell of a demo.

3 more tracks of tyrannical Death Metal magnificence that show why Perilaxe Occlusion are a mighty force of obscure malice in the underground. This takes all that was great about the first demo and pushes it into overdrive with better songwriting, a tighter performance and crushing delivery. Executed to brilliance.