EP REVIEW: Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass – Ancient Crypts

ANCIENT CRYPTS are one of the better death metal acts within the Chilean underground at the moment. Forming in 2012, their output to date has consisted of two demos, both of which came out in 2013 and blended a sepulchral take on death metal with plenty of chaotic musical proficiency thrown in for good measure. 2020 marks the band’s return to music after a lengthy dormancy with the release of their debut E.P, Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass, a record that sees ANCIENT CRYPTS up their game significantly both in terms of the production and musical quality, resulting in a record that could very well cement them at the forefront of the Chilean underground.

After the haunting Andante Allucinatorio, the album proper begins with An Amorphous Symphony of Accursed Flutes, a song that sounds every bit as monstrous and dark as its subject matter. Caustic guitar hooks and frenetic drumming provide a chaotic backdrop for some brilliantly feral vocals, which add a solid, guttural counterpoint to the sharp and visceral approach of the rest of the music. With some excellent lead melodies and dense rhythm sections, this proves to be an impressive way to start the record, going straight for the jugular. Sarcophagidaes is a much more focused aural assault, with thick, groove-laden guitars giving this song a meaty sound right off the bat. Whereas the last track went for a more cacophonous delivery, this takes a far more measured, yet nonetheless crushing, route.

Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass‘s titular track proves to be the most ambitious on the EP, setting a slower, bleaker tone. This is another track built around fantastic guitar work, with an eerie intro that gradually builds towards a massive and epic piece of death metal. The whole track has a vast, grandiose feel that begins to see the use of cleaner guitar tones before driving into one last savage motif that is truly one of the best and most powerful moments on the whole EP. He Spoke Behind the Mask of Clay, with it’s thundering, dirge-like lead hooks and tight drumming, has a slight air of BOLT THROWER at points, but injects lots of speed-driven, borderline thrash hooks and some brief technicality into the mix bridging the gap between the classic death metal sound and a slicker, more modern one. It’s a huge piece of music with some great musicianship and hellish vocals, which does a great job of bringing Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass to a close.

Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass is a massive step up for ANCIENT CRYPTS. The more imaginative and varied musicianship on offer here, as well as the sharper production value, has really brought all of their best elements to the fore, and it’s clear that the seven year recording break has allowed them to regroup and refine their sound, trimming what little fat there was and leaving only lean, visceral death metal.

Rating: 8/10

Inhaling the Fumes of a Burning Carcass is out now via Crypts of Eternity Productions/Burning Coffin Records. 

Like ANCIENT CRYPTS on Facebook.