On March 16th Unspeakable Axe Records will deliver a spectacular split release that harnesses the talents of four hellaciously good death metal bands. The last time Unspeakable Axe did something like this was in 2016, when 4 Doors To Death brought together tracks by Cemetery Filth, Ectovoid, Sabbatory, and TrenchRot (if you haven’t checked that one out, get your ass over here and do it). This time, under the title 4 Doors To Death vol. II, the label is presenting a combination of 12 original new tracks by Nucleus, Ectoplasma, Fetid Zombie, and Temple of Void, amounting to a solid hour of ferocious and frightful metal.
Two days ago we began the roll-out of one track from the split by each of these four bands — one per day from then through the end of this week. If you haven’t checked out the Nucleus track we brought you on Tuesday or the Ectoplasma song we revealed yesterday, do that here and here. And then come right back to this page to experience today’s premiere, a riveting combination of mayhem and morbidity by Fetid Zombie that goes under the name “Bloodlust Consecration“.
A few people reading these words might not recognize the name Mark Riddick, but I’m guessing it’s a small percentage. Since 1991 he has been creating gruesome artwork for a countless number of album covers, posters, shirts, and more… including the cover art for this split… and although he has been often copied, his style is so distinctive that you know a Riddick piece when you see it.
He has also been involved in a variety of bands and solo projects going back to the very early ’90s, and Fetid Zombie is a particularly blasphemous and death-obsessed solo project that draws upon Riddick‘s death metal roots and translates his gruesome artistic visions into sound. Since 2008 Fetid Zombie has released six full-lengths, a trio of EPs, and an extravagant number of splits, and in doing that Riddick has regularly enlisted impressive guest artists.
Consistent with that history, the three songs Fetid Zombie has contributed to this new Unspeakable Axe four-way split includes guest appearances by James Malone (ARSIS, lead guitar), Clare Webster (YYLVA, voice), Kyle Shaw (OBSCENE, voice), Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC., drums), and Daniel Kelley (OSSUARIUM, voice).
While death metal has been at the core of Fetid Zombie‘s song creations, the songs often vary widely, both in length and in style, and they’re always dynamic affairs. The one we’re bringing you today, “Bloodlust Consecration“, is on the shorter end of the Fetid Zombie spectrum, and it’s capable of producing both sore-neck syndrome and feelings of spine-tingling dread.
The music brutally pounds, rabidly jackhammers, and viciously scissors, undergirded by neck-snapping drumwork that rocks and stalks rather than races, punctuated by acrobatic fills and bursts of double-bass rumble. The riffing is alternately jittery, jabbing, and slashing, and the fast-changing guitar interplay also includes morbid episodes of groaning, gruesome chords and eerie flickering and wailing arpeggios. Meanwhile, the vocals range among guttural gargoyle grunts, wretched howls, and strangled regurgitations. All these ingredients combine to create a captivating experience.
Unspeakable Axe Records will release the split on CD and digital, with 4-panel art by Mark Riddick. Pre-orders are available now via the link below. Check back with us tomorrow for one more premiere from the split — by Temple of Void.
PRE-ORDER:
https://unspeakableaxerecords.bandcamp.com/album/4-doors-to-death-vol-ii
FETID ZOMBIE:
https://www.facebook.com/fetidzombie/
4 Doors To Death vol. II Track List:
1. Nucleus – Nexus
2. Nucleus – Replicant
3. Ectoplasma – Infestation Of The Extraneous Ones
4. Ectoplasma – Ominous Wormhole Butchery
5. Ectoplasma – Extraterrestrial Matter Of Amorphous Rot
6. Ectoplasma – Atrocious Ovomorphic Death
7. Fetid Zombie – Bloodlust Consecration
8. Fetid Zombie – Celestial Horror
9. Fetid Zombie – Chaos Scythe
10. Temple Of Void – Voidmind
11. Temple Of Void – Perfection Of The Hideous
12. Temple Of Void – Ceremorphosis