ALBUM REVIEW: Eldritch Anatomy – Ensanguinate

Ljubljana’s ENSANGUINATE have been stalking the death metal scene since 2020 and now present their debut full-length Eldritch Anatomy. Drawing influence from the likes of MORBID ANGEL and POSSESSED, this is old school death metal that’s been dragged through the murk and the filth into the 21st Century. And with cover art designed by GORGOROTH‘s own Atterigner, this is an homage to extreme metal’s pioneers and progenitors through and through.

Hunted wastes no time in plunging into the horrific depths of death metal; razor sharp riffs and blunt force trauma vocals, pierced by a menacing rhythm section in which every cymbal crash feels like a dagger through the fabric of reality. It’s a whirlwind of an opener and one that instantly wraps the listener up in a frenzy. The evil and menacing air hangs thick around Cadaver Synod, which is a pulsating and grotesque anthem that hits every age of death metal without pigeonholing itself in any one era. 

Unfortunately, the middle of the record falls victim to such a strong opening. The likes of Perdition’s Crown and Gaping Maws Of Cerberus are far less memorable than their predecessors. They still stomp and prowl restlessly, but that initial magic is waning slightly. They do each have their moments still, particularly the latter which grinds down to a crawl and lays a benevolent bed for the band to build back up on. However this remains unfulfilled, ending before the expected outpouring of fury. It keeps you on your toes, but this likely isn’t why you’re checking this record out. This is also the point of the album where formulas begin to reveal themselves somewhat. Slow, stompy opening, into a fast riff, into roared vocals over said riff, slow it down again in the middle, and end with a big angry flourish. Granted, it’s a solid death metal blueprint, but perhaps the sequencing could have used some tweaking to alleviate this issue.

Fortunately, the back end of the record draws you right back in and begins to slow things down a touch. The final four tracks in particular play host to sections of huge, sweeping, sparse rumblings. Although these periods are sometimes short lived and act as a palette cleanser before the next full blast assault, it makes for a tidy ace in the hole. It means ENSANGUINATE hit that much harder when they catapult themselves back into their fast and furious stylings – the explosion at the minute mark of Lowermost Baptisms is particularly nasty. The changes of pace in the middle of Death Vernacular amp up the malevolent atmosphere to an oppressive level and album closer Vile Grace ties everything up by merging grand and palatial riffs with thundering ferocity, running the whole gamut of everything that makes death metal – and ENSANGUINATE – so great.

In an overpopulated genre that seems to churn out new entries week in week out, ENSANGUINATE‘s decision to play their own brand of classic death metal could have left Eldritch Anatomy feeling dated and left in the dust. Instead, they’ve masterfully imbued the genre’s 80s roots with modern sensibilities and gritty wider influences to keep this feeling vital and fresh. Old school fans will find here a record to love, but some of the new school might find themselves doing the exact same thing. Overall, the promise and potential is clear, and we’ll watch with bated breath to see what they do next.

Rating: 7/10

Eldritch Anatomy is set for release on September 2nd via Emanzipation Productions.

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