The Italian underground label Everlasting Spew Records has presented itself as a new purveyor for quality releases in the death metal genre. Since its establishment, the record label introduced us to a number of excellent bands like Convocation, Disembodiment, Galvanizer, Void Rot, and many more. On February 25th Everlasting Spew Records will release the split album from Oregon-based death metal band Ritual Necromancy and São Paulo‘s rising death/doom act Fossilization. The split release contains three songs with one from Ritual Necromancy and two tracks from Fossilization.

Over the past decade, Ritual Necromancy constructed its own criteria of musical abomination expressed in the style of Incantation. And served dreary standards that maintained the evil and primitive sound of death metal that was presented in the sophomore “Disinterred Horror”. In the case of their monolithic track “Enter the Depth”, it aptly reveals the frightening laws of death metal to the band’s musical canon. The eldritch growls would be enough to tear up the veil between our inferior worlds and the fourth dimension seems to get closer every time when the thick riffing strum ancient dirges. The propelling drums enhance the sinister bellows of the guitars and the blast beats burst with powerful currents. Within the span of fifteen minutes, the Oregon quartet sprawls into the musty and threatening style of obscure death metal. The gigantic layers of guitars perfectly contrast with the low guttural growls and showcase their unique style for creating a suffocating environment. Roaring drums increasingly boom from the destructive wall of sound, then suddenly a moment of silence descendant with the propelling double bass soaking the listener in the disturbing ambiance.

Though the changes in the tempos and rhythm section dominate the song, the guitars hold the balance of thrusting powerful riffs. The riffing arrangements always deliver bleak funereal riffs and this is where the resemblance to Incantation mostly occurs. The pacing surpasses the speed of death/doom bands, sometimes the shifting tempos opt for slower tempos. The guitars don’t only resonate but they also capture the cavernous and brooding atmosphere of bands like Dead Congregation. The riffing and growls mainly provide deep landscapes of immense layers that surface upon the brutal drumming. With this horrific monstrous style, Ritual Necromancy manages to send shivers down your spine through the formidable scale of intense riffing without losing any sort of concentration. 

While the two new songs of Fossilization convey a potent and crushing style of death/doom metal, “Exalted in the Altar of Insignificance” has a different aspect to what they had brought on their 2021 EP “He Whose Name Was Long Forgotten”. The duo presents an unreal mixture of crushing death metal, while the slower tempo midway through the track stamps upon a brutal sonic atmosphere. Heavy drum pummeling and cavernous guitars produce a sharp tone with low tremolo-picked riffs, equipping the song composition and allowing for a smooth transition between the slower and fast tempo. Although somewhat bleak and asphyxiating, the rhythm guitars are well employed and this basically gives a unique sound that contributes to the ominous atmosphere. The dark environment sets up for a dismal experience and this somehow makes the song quite interesting, especially for those who have listened to the band’s debut EP.

The final track “With Blood and Feathers” proves that Fossilization has developed an unparalleled style, the sharp tremolos unfurl dark rhythm. And overall the song has a different vibe to it where the slow plodding drums gives a sense of sludge death/doom inclinations. Unlike the previous one, this song is invariably slow but when the drums trudge from the doomy pace, the pulverizing drums unleash powerful blast beats while still keeping the tempo bleak. The guitars launch into mammoth riffing although one has to wonder how Fossilization possesses such talent. Crunchy guitars perfectly ebb and flow with the cavernous growls, and the heavy pounding of the drums thundering so loud with the powerful riffing dropping catchy hooks! 

Overall, the Ritual Necromancy/Fossilization split release is a great offering from these two bands, and it surely gives us a glimpse of what’s to come in the near future, this comes highly recommended if you are into such claustrophobic styles of death and doom metal.

Release Date: February 25th, 2022
Label: Everlasting Spew Records
Tracklisting:

1. Ritual Necromancy – Enter The Depths
2. Fossilization – Exalted in the Altar of Insignificance
3. Fossilization – With Blood and Feathers