Review: Black Wound ‘To The Endless Depths’ EP
The debut physical release from Swedish death/doom newcomers Black Wound (who are depressingly young to be this talented by the way) comes to you via Dry Cough, and the cassette version of To The Endless Depths will soon be a collector’s item if what is hidden beneath is anything to go by. Disgustingly brutal death/doom with that old school Swedeath kick is the order of the day, and it’s produced by the band’s 17 year old drummer (pauses to vomit with old rage).
Opener Absence Of Will begins with this devastating, relentless churn of death metal riffs, soaked in the weight of funeral doom. It feels very old school, with a guttural roar echoing above chasmatic guitar work and a dense bass attack. Clattering hi-hat reflects off battering drums, and when the slow rumbling bass smashes through, as it does in the intro to From Eternity And Beyond, it’s world shaking. The track veers from a trudging behemoth of murky evil into a savage rendering of old school death metal at its finest, and the cavernous production really helps to amplify the whole DIY ethos that seems to infuse every fetid moment.
Unending Labyrinth is firmly in the death metal camp, thundering along on necrotic riffs and suffocating murk with the odd foray back into the doomier tones, while the crawling chaos of Lurker On The Threshold/Dweller In The Depths is a monstrous piece of Black Wound‘s death/doom credentials laid bare for all to feed upon. It feels like a Lovecraftian horror brought to life, with spasms to speedier carnage before the dawning, dragging horrors are revealed to us all.
like a Lovecraftian horror brought to life…
Final track Traitor feels like Godflesh doing blackened death metal, with a martial chugging bassline highlighted by scowling, snarling roars of nihilistic intent. It’s a towering monolith to the very spirit of death/doom, where both genres collide as equals and create ugly, beautiful music.
To The Endless Depths is a strikingly impressive EP, showing a grand depth of maturity and nihilistic talent lurking in these three young Swedes. How did you become so disaffected and murderous this young?! Black Wound are a revelation, and I can only have nightmares about what dimension rending horrors they’ll produce in the future. This is excellent.
Label: Dry Cough Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Scribed by: Sandy Williamson
