EP REVIEW: Accursed – Vale Of Pnath

Denver’s VALE OF PNATH are easily one of the most exciting bands in the tsunami of North American progressive/technical death metal outfits that crashed onto the metal scene in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Despite releasing only one EP previous to this year’s Accursed, and two full length albums since their formation in 2006 – The Prodigal Empire and II in 2011 and 2016, respectively – VALE OF PNATH have enjoyed a huge amount of success. Accursed sees the quintet fully embrace the blackened influences they have always flirted with, blending them with their stunning brand of technical death metal. On paper, it sounds like they’re onto a winner – but does their newest EP capitalise on the potential?

Intro track Shadow And Agony immediately sets the listener on edge, sounding more like a piece lifted from a horror movie score than the standard, hype-building introductory song that intro tracks have become. But it’s The Darkest Gate, the first full song on Accursed, that sees VALE OF PNATH really flex up and showcase just how formidable they are. An immediate highlight from the EP, The Darkest Gate moves effortlessly between technical riffing and blackened death metal atmosphere, with subtle use of orchestration really solidifying the offering. The listener is also treated to the dark poetry of Accursed‘s lyrics here: around the midway point the band dive into a pseudo-breakdown, with vocalist Reece Deeter‘s raw screams taking centre stage. “Mist that smells of rotten flesh carries a curse throughout the skies. The scent fuses with your memory and rots your mind,” stands as one of the most enchanting lyrics from Accursed.

Skin Turned Soil wastes no time in diving straight for the jugular, bringing in all the techy goodness while Accursed‘s title track doubles down on the blackened influences that were so present in The Darkest Gate. After the brief break of Audient Realm, VALE OF PNATH bring Accursed to a devastating close with the viscous one-two of Obsidian Realm and Spectre Of Bone. Further solidifying the strength of this black metal/tech-death hybrid, Obsidian Realm drives forward mixing virtuoso flourishes and eviscerating evil at every turn, while closing offering Spectre Of Bone stands as arguably the strongest moment on the EP alongside The Darkest Gate.

VALE OF PNATH have been devout practitioners of the “quality, not quantity” mantra for their whole career, taking all the time in the world between releases but delivering absolute excellence when the time is right. Accursed follows suit. Despite it’s shorter run-time, this is a collection of some of the best and most interesting songwriting in VALE OF PNATH‘s back-catalogue. The black metal elements lift their sound to a whole new level, the tech-death elements are just the right level of self-indulgent while still maintaining enjoyment. Accursed promises a new era of excellence from VALE OF PNATH, and a certainty that they’ll be at the top tier of the genre in no time.

Rating: 8/10

Accursed is out now via Willowtip Records. 

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