EP REVIEW: Dismal – Burn Down Eden

From the very first listen, it’s genuinely astounding to note the sheer scale and intricately layered richness of sound these accomplished German aggressors are capable of conjuring up within the incredibly economical space of a mere 17 minutes. Especially if we stop to consider the numerous hours, days, perhaps even months, many a big-name artist has frequently squandered either lazily attempting to fill out yet another tired and uninspiring cash-grab of an album or vainly seeking to rekindle that ever-elusive spark of long-expired creativity. But, as the purveyors of a sound that’s audibly teeming with a myriad shades of frantically energised, abrasive and darkly flourishing carnage, suffice to say a deficit of creative momentum is most definitely not a condition death metal talents BURN DOWN EDEN will be suffering from any time soon!

Residing in decidedly Scandinavian stylistic territories that, at moments, recall the gnarly, scalpel-keen grooves of death metal titans AT THE GATES together with the searing, sleekly anthemic riffery of IN FLAMES, the rather misleadingly-titled Dismal is a ferociously entertaining slab of a five-tracker. With its every battering propulsive blast and visceral strain of tremolo having been deftly configured to create an endlessly exhilarating assault on the senses, epic opener Reap The Apocalypse seizes instantly arresting hold of the listener. Pairing hyperblasting warp speed with an intoxicating feast of bristling, knife-edged textures and fluidly cascading guitar leads, these highly skilled performers command every conceivable second of our undivided attention from the get-go.

Manifesting a colossal, pulverising presence via a densely layered multitude of percussive blasts and ripping, multi-directional spirals of abrasive fretwork, Death Of A Songbird comprises a jaw-droppingly accomplished exercise in blistering, tautly manipulated aggression. Elsewhere, The War Within illustrates meticulous placement of its respective parts, splicing in generous measures of lunging, tombstone-heavy groove and icily entrancing atmospheres into a wondrously hostile and intoxicating mix.

And despite the frequently sound barrier-shattering extremes of acceleration being purveyed here in liberal, synapse-scorching abundance, these highly skilled players retain unwavering standards of meticulous precision and control throughout. Take, for example, the wickedly angular, razor-sharp delivery underpinning the stratospheric twin riffery of Aim For The Stars or the nimble, serpentine elegance with which …Apocalypse‘s varying strains of searing, darkly elongated fretwork seamlessly intertwine and coalesce.

But with its masterful intermingling of intricate classical trappings and bone-shattering levels of sonic extremity, it’s the genre-obliterating Blood Splattered Symphony that numbers by far the most striking and sonically intrepid facet of this relentlessly compelling EP.

Rating: 9/10

Dismal is out now via Seek & Strike. 

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