Reeking Aura’s 7 songs traverse across the desolate multiverse of death-doom. The songwriting is assembled in the old school fashion. ‘Blood And Bonemeal’ leaves a tremendous mark with the proficiency of the three lead guitars and rhythm imbuing a crushing quality. The monstrous growls of Will Smith have their own guttural effect, spewing gloomy poetry from the spectral realms. The opening track ‘Remnant of Obstinate Rank (Flooding Ratholes)’ keeps a gloomy faculty of diffusing crushing doom metal dirges. Putrid riffs, boosted by the drums, unleash a tremendous fury against the powerful wall of sound. Reeking Aura’s music is instantly dynamic with the guitars contrasting with the growls. On the title track the guitars convey heavy monolithic riffs while the drums burgeon like the raging waves of the sea. The sound of the rapturous riffs becomes extremely fast.

A shroud of despair hangs over the growing atmosphere while the lead guitars have the ability to cascade over the inky gloom. Hazy guitar sections deepen the abysmal depth. Reeking Aura draws similarity from the U.S. death/doom band Dusk. Proceeding into a fast-paced tempo the drums deliver heavy slabs of death metal morbidity. The U.S. ensemble wastes no time preferring to strike ruthlessly. Some of the most blasting sections are found on ‘Seed the Size of a Spider’s Eye’ which ushers in the brutal pace of the drums.

Massive double bass drums and cavernous grunts creep in. With all the devastating tones of the punishing drums, there is an expanding prospect of discernible doom that continues to emerge in the mid-tempo. ‘Blood and Bonemeal’ is a spectacular album, balanced by the austerity that is measured by the brutal riffing. The drums showcase destructive blows. Reeking Aura keeps these firm features unrestrained as  ‘Harvesting the Hatchet’ churns out a turbulent maelstrom until a dismal touch brings a clean guitar at the end of the song.

These veterans managed to present something fresh for the fans of death/doom metal, though some of the tracks are chaotic at times. ‘A Vegetative Mush that Melts Among the Shelves Lined with Meats of Indeterminate Origin’ treads further into brutal death/doom sections. The vocals effects add a mysteriousness against the backdrop of blasting drums while the tempo flows through fast and intense drumming.

‘Pyramid-Shaped Plow/The Caretaker’ offers sheer brutality. Reeking Aura understands how to create atmospheric ambiance but beyond that, there is a powerful intensity to the riffing. Often the music descends under the grasp of the rhythm guitars, always allowing the tempo to traverse into the spectral realms.

The debut effort brings a great mixture of death/doom metal. You will often find this sonic diversity in  the slower sections where ample full space is given for the gloomy atmosphere to work its magic. The production is another bold aspect of the album: Reeking Aura has found a monstrous sound on its album. From the opening moments of the first track the drums showcase the virtuoso pummeling relentlessly through rapid tempos. ‘Blood and Bonemeal’ combine the aptitude of the lead guitars and the sledgehammer riffs with enough ferocity to break your skull.

The doomy moments rather brew slowly as the music takes some time to drift towards the brooding sections. The final track ‘Grublust’ perfectly utilizes these slow lumbering paces with the riffs played in the traditional style of doom metal before the tempo of blasting drums wreaks total havoc. The mid-tempo is not only brutally crushing, it also proves the coherence of the songwriting prowess with stomping riffs, towering guitar solos and  the rhythm guitar providing a perfect atmospheric backdrop to the guttural growls.

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