AN NCS SPLIT PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): PUTREVORE AND GRIM FATE

 

The corroded iron gates of a cavernous stinking crypt have been wrenched open, releasing into our world a hideous spectacle of shambling ghouls and hungering horrors, revealing visions of suppurating decay and blood-lusting mayhem. Ancient avatars of death metal darkness have been given new life again, and this time we have Putrevore and Grim Fate to thank for a renewal of our odious pleasures.

The first of those names has been reverberating in the dank caverns of the underground for more than a decade, combining the talents of people whose fame is older still, while the second name is new but destined to spread quickly by word of mouth. They have joined forces in a new 7″ split release that Dawnbreed Records and Seed of Doom Records will discharge on March 15th, and it would be hard to think of a better gift on the Ides of March for addicts of monstrous death metal. You’ll discover that for yourselves right now, because we have a stream of both tracks below.

 

 

For the “old-timers” among you, PUTREVORE needs no introduction, but for those still discovering the horrid glories of putrid old school death metal, the band combines the veteran talents of vocalist Dave Rotten (Avulsed, and the owner of Xtreem Music) and riff-master Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, The Grotesquery, etc., etc.). Under the Putrevore banner they’ve recorded three titanic albums since 2008, the most recent of which was 2015’s Tentacles of Horror. Their new song for this split, “Titan Towers Submerged”, shows them at the height of their impressive powers, backed here by the extravagant drumming of Brynjar Helgetun.

The dynamic sounds within the song are frenzied and imperious, grief-stricken and desolate. It immediately assaults the senses in a fury of clobbering drums and vicious seething riffs, to which Dave Rotten adds his truly horrifying abyssal proclamations. As the song evolves, deep, magisterial chords ring our and eerie leads glide through the music like pestilential vapors. The percussion thunders, and shrill tones spear out from a tortured guitar — but following a moody bridge, the pace slows, and the atmosphere of the music changes. The voice becomes a harrowing spectral howl, and the buzzing lead channels misery and despair.

It’s such a good song, and a bittersweet reminder that we need a new Putrevore album!

 

 

The idea of sharing sides with Putrevore would be damned intimidating to most newer bands, but GRIM FATE show no fear, and more than hold their own on this split. Formed in 2017, this Dutch band have previously released a 2017 demo (Decomposition) and a 2018 EP (Emerging From the Crypt), which was also released by Dawnbreed Records.

Like Putrevore’s own track, “Untimely Demise” is a dynamic monstrosity. Launched with a slow pounding rhythm and gruesome guitar groaning and moaning, the song segues into a hammering riff, and as the drumming begins to batter, pummel, and boom, the corrosive riffing becomes more agonized and violent. The gait becomes a gallop as the riff begins to jab — and then the music slows to a queasy, decaying crawl. As the drum patterns and riffs continue to change, the lyrics come through in deep, jagged-edged roars, heartless and cruel. A solo channels pure wretchedness, and with the vocalist’s mind-abrading shriek the song begins to gallop again, the ravaging tremolo riffs channeling maniacal savagery… until the song collapses again into a pit of putrefaction.

Grim Fate have signed with Dave Rotten’s Xtreem Music for the release of a debut full-length later this year, and their part of this split gives us further reason to be excited for that.

 

 

The split will be released on black vinyl (120 copies) and toxic green vinyl (204 copies) beginning on the 15th of March. Information about how to acquire them is available via these links:

PRE-ORDER:
https://www.dawnbreed.com/
http://seedofdoom.storenvy.com/

PUTREVORE:
https://www.facebook.com/putrevore

GRIM FATE:
https://www.facebook.com/grimfatedeathmetal/