Fast Rites: because sometimes brevity is fundamental.
Subtlety is for hosebags. Sometimes, at least. And particularly in those cases where a new band decides to re-grip the blade once swung by a primo band that never managed to gain a true foothold until a reissue gives a classic work (or works) the attention it so desperately deserves. Illustration de l’excellence: Norway’s Desolation Realm and their decision to snag a page from the Timeghoul playbook. This scrumptious little debut EP offers a brand of otherworldly technical death metal that avoids the “tech death” tag most generally associate with the style in favor of something that’s classic-sounding and just as twisty/turny/ripped-apart-by-space as anything you’d hear from Willowtip Records circa 2018. Of course, this isn’t exactly new territory, thanks to bands like Blood Incantation, Chthe’ilist, et al., but Desolation Realm’s version is somehow heavier and more deliriously explicit, which is reason enough for celebration if you’re the sort who can’t get enough of records like Tumultuous Travelings. Need some quick, skull-obliterating proof? Check that beautiful break-out 3:25 into the opening “Lifeless Forms.” Mmm-MMM, that’s some good literal death caused by death metal.
Release date: October 9, 2018
Label: Independent
