ALBUM REVIEW: In The Light Of Burning Churches – Burying Place
The road from a band’s formation to the release of their debut album is not always as quick and clear cut as it so often seems – that’s if the band in question even remains active long enough to reach such a milestone. Take Lithuania’s BURYING PLACE for instance; formed all the way back in 1991 under the moniker KERSTAS, the band’s small but impressive back catalogue, consisting of two demos in 1992 and 1994, along with a live album in 2013, could very well have seen this quartet go the way of so many impressive early 90s death metal acts, relegated to only being remembered and celebrated by an incredibly small number of people. Luckily, over three whole decades since their formation, the band’s debut full length, In The Light Of Burning Churches, is finally seeing the light of day, and it’s safe to say that it’s been more than worth the decades-long wait.
The ominous ambience of Liars quickly gives way to Blinded By God, a slab of chunky death metal with razor sharp guitars, sludgy bass hooks and punishing drums, which, along with some excellent gutturals, builds a wall of sound that grabs the listener’s attention immediately. These elements are counterpointed by polished, intricate leads that range from jarring freneticism to slicker melodicism, adding a catchy flourish to this ferocious opening gambit. Sons Of Evil follows in a similar vein, but with an unhinged approach to the music overall, with the leads especially adding a demented, dizzying whirlwind of dissonance in amongst the far more groove-laden sound. Despite its focused sound, there are plenty of chaotic moments peppered liberally throughout that give this a savage, unpredictable feel.
Depressive Destruction strips away some of the thicker undercurrent and replaces it with a technical and layered style, with the bass and guitars vying for attention, complementing each other and providing a fluid, interwoven sound that elevates the best parts of the music whilst not losing any of the brutality of earlier offerings. Death is a dense, crushing piece of death metal with a muscular, gargantuan sound. The only real downside is that the band don’t utilise this song’s length to explore a wider musical range, opting for a straightforward but nonetheless impressive death metal formula throughout, albeit with some imaginative guitar work. Treason, with its great, galloping opening riff and speed-driven sound, is another longer track that serves as a textbook example of how to write extremely effective death metal with a generous helping of melody and a pummelling intensity. The drums and guitars notably lend a cavernous feel to the music that turns this into a powerful and memorable offering.
The album’s title track is prefaced by Revenge, a brief burst of acoustic guitar that provides a cinematic quality to proceedings. This is a noticeably slower and fiercer affair, with caustic, dancing leads, machine-gun-precise drumming and demonic vocals which inject a black metal influence into the music, whilst still being firmly planted within the heavier end of death metal. It’s got some fantastic descending riffs that provide a feral and cacophonous side that works extremely well, shrouding the harsher parts of the track in an unnerving and acidic edge that energises the music.
Pain, much like Revenge, makes great use of acoustic guitars and atmospheric thunder to draw the listener in before launching headlong into the album’s last proper track Cold, Hate And Pain (The Land of Crosses); this is another piece of monstrous death metal with an incredibly controlled and lean sound. It’s interspersed with lots of frenetic, visceral moments that add a rabid edge to the weighty, granite-heavy undercurrent of the song. It’s also easily one of the most technical and accomplished offerings from a musician’s standpoint, shifting from one immense riff to another to keep this song engrossing throughout before allowing the spartan ambience of Outro – The End to close the album on a sombre and dramatic note.
For fans of intense and visceral death metal, there’s certainly a lot to love about this record. But scratch below the surface and it becomes clear that there’s more to this album than the incredibly ferocious and monstrous death metal that dominates it. From the atmospheric industrial interludes that provide segues between each track on here, to the immersive ambience and acoustic flourishes of the three brief instrumental pieces that are spread throughout the record, there’s plenty of musical experimentation that hints at a possible direction for the band to explore more in the future. As far as debut albums go, this one is absolutely fantastic; it’s tight and punishing, with lots of brilliant musicianship that keeps it impressive from start to finish. The 30-plus year wait for this album has been more than worth it, and with any luck it won’t be another few decades before BURYING PLACE return with new music.
Rating: 8/10
In The Light Of Burning Churches is out now via Inferna Profundus Records.
Like BURYING PLACE on Facebook.