ALBUM REVIEW: Relics of the Deathkult – Revel In Flesh

Germany’s REVEL IN FLESH have always had a super underground, old-school attitude to their music, breaking down the wait-time between albums with a steady stream of split releases, sharing disc-space with underground death metal favourites WOMBBATH, UNDER THE CHURCH and FERAL, to name but a few. Today, the quintet release Relics of the Deathkult – a compilation release, gathering all the tracks from their multitude of split releases in one brutal place.

Relics of the Deathkult follows the progression of REVEL IN FLESH excellently, with the track list more or less following the chronological release of the tracks. As such, the collection of old-school death metal worshipping rarities begins with Bonecrusher, REVEL IN FLESH‘s contribution to their first ever split, Within The Morbid Ossuary alongside REVOLTING. A fan favourite despite not appearing on any of REVEL IN FLESH‘s main albums, the song is a crushing, mid-tempo beast inspired by the favourites from the early days of Sweden’s death metal scene. This Scandinavian style of old-school death metal, complete with buzz-saw guitars, unnatural hooks and brilliant melodies is signature to REVEL IN FLESH‘s sound, and is explored throughout the entirety of this release.

Originally released on the Imperial Anthem No 3 split with PUTERAEON, Chant of Misery opens with a short, haunting choir before driving into the melody-tinged savagery. The choir comes into place again at several points throughout the track, giving a very ethereal feel to the brutality on display. Arguably the strongest track on the compilation, Nightrealm Ghouls – The Dead Will Walk The Earth perfectly channels all that is quintessential to REVEL IN FLESH‘s sound, jumping between mid-tempo, skull crushing heaviness and relentless speed, with a raw, guttural sound and splashes of hooky melody. The track also has a not-so-subtle nod to one of death metal’s most important albums, with the lyrics “Scream bloody gore!” cutting through the chorus. The Ending In Fire was the first single to be released, accompanying the announcement of Relics of the Deathkult’s release. Though still unashamedly pure old-school death metal, there is a lot of melody present in This Ending In Fire, and some massive hooks that are truly infectious. The only track from Relics of the Deathkult to be featured on one of REVEL IN FLESH‘s full-lengths is Casket Ride, from their stunning 2016 offering Emissary of All Plagues – though it is the version originally released on the Dragged Into The Obscure split with WOMBBATH.

To compliment their rare originals, REVEL IN FLESH end Relics of the Deathkult with a trio of covers. The first is Pay To Die, from MASTER’s self-titled 1990 album, followed by DEATH’s Mutilation and closing the album with HEADHUNTER D.C’s Deny the Light. Each of the covers do an excellent job in channelling the original song, while still injecting a flavour of REVEL IN FLESH’s signature sound into the mix.

Relics of the Deathkult is definitely a necessary purchase for any fans of REVEL IN FLESH – especially newer fans that will have missed out on the earlier releases, and don’t have the time or money to track down nine separate split EPs. For those not so familiar with the band, Relics of the Deathkult is still absolutely a worthwhile purchase, showcasing some outstanding rarities that would have been a welcome addition to any of REVEL IN FLESH’s full LPs. Though the record lacks the cohesion in song-writing an album of new material, this is the nature of the beast with compilation albums. All in, Relics of the Deathkult is a highly enjoyable collection of rarities from one of underground death metal’s best acts, and should be welcome in any death metal fans’ collection. Praise the Deathkult!

Rating: 9/10

Relics of the Deathkult is out now via War Anthem Records.

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