EP REVIEW: Visions Of Stagnant Blood – Celestial Sanctuary

Grim, remorseless and not for the faint-hearted. Enough about festival toilets though. One band set to make a mighty impact on the Saturday morning of this year’s Download are CELESTIAL SANCTUARY. The East Anglian death metal quartet have been churning out high quality riffs over the last few years; 2023’s Insatiable Thirst For Torment was eagerly received and became a worthy inclusion on numerous album of the year lists, and now, just a few days before their Donnington appearance, they’ve surprise released a three-track EP to showcase what they have in store as they continue to demonstrate why they are at the forefront of the UK death metal scene.

While it may be condensed in track length, CELESTIAL SANCTUARY have distilled all the intense energy of their albums into a potent punch. A glance at the track listing shows they’ve retained their love of gore themed titles. Visions Of Stagnant Blood and Puddles Of You Reflect The Filth Within blend the mix of disgusting and humorous that has become a signature of the band.

From the first moment, the music grabs the shirt collars and refuses to let go. This is a ride propelled by colossal riffage, insistent gutturals and imperious drumming. It’s clear across each of the tracks that these are far more than cutting room floor edits that didn’t make it onto the most recent album. The DNA of the music is very obvious, but the fact that CELESTIAL SANCTUARY have developed is readily apparent. The title track has all the bite that has become their norm, yet the execution of the riffs is more complementary to the melody, generating a track that is both filthy and memorable.

Gavage Of The Vile is an unstoppable force of inexorable rhythmic power, yet once again they show development. The songwriting and musicianship have upped a notch from their last album and indicates that although CELESTIAL SANCTUARY have clearly found their groove, they are not content to rest on their laurels. There is no standout track as such. All three have the qualities of excellent extreme metal and showcase the riff-slinging quartet in the best possible light. Unyielding, raw, in places utterly grimy but overall, hugely enjoyable.

It might only be three tracks but CELESTIAL SANCTUARY have undeniably hit the mark once again. With these songs now in their arsenal, the crowds at Download will be treated to an additional level of ferocity to the already excellent live experience of the band. For those of us unable to make it to the festival, Visions Of Stagnant Blood is a worthy consolation. Powerful, imposing, gory and tongue firmly in cheek, it’s everything that one has come to expect from the quartet. There’s development in the creativity of their songwriting and the execution of their musicianship. It’s not to be missed and definitely indicates that the only was is up for CELESTIAL SANCTUARY.

Rating: 10/10

Visions Of Stagnant Blood is out now via self-release.

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