EP REVIEW: Lair of the Xenolich – Black Hole Deity

Italian label Everlasting Spew Records has become one of Europe’s premier homes for bands breaking their way into the underground of the death metal scene. Hailing from Birmingham – and that’s the Alabama Birmingham, not the ancestral home of heavy metal – BLACK HOLE DEITY aim to be the newest outfit to break into the death metal scene via Everlasting Spew, with their debut EP Lair of the Xenolich. But does the quartet live up to those who have come before from the Italian label, or is Lair of the Xenolich destined to fall by the wayside? 

Conceptually focussed on the sci-fi end of the horror spectrum, there is certainly something a little bit different about BLACK HOLE DEITY that is intriguing, to say the least. Spanning five tracks and just under 17 minutes, Lair of the Xenolich doesn’t offer a huge amount of space for the band to make an impression – fortunately, there is a lot of potential right off the bat. Opening salvo Razed Earth Edict starts with no frills, no nonsense, no mucking about – the quartet launch straight into brutality in spades, high tempo riffing and blast beats pushing a strong momentum right from the get go, while discordant leads and melodies hammer home the sci-fi-horror theme. Big, tasty grooves, venomous vocals and a cosmic atmosphere runs throughout, to great effect – a promising start.

Railgun Combat offers a bit more of the same – it’s fast, its brutal, its early MORBID ANGEL worship performed to a reasonably high standard. Spacey leads, up tempo blasting and decidedly headbangable grooves offer up a solid foundation, but its the stellar vocal performance from Chris White that has really shone thus far. Interludial Hypersleep Dementia is a bit of a wildcard, the soft guitars proving to be an interesting touch but in the greater scheme of Lair of the Xenolich, this mid-way track halts the momentum built thus far by Razed Earth Edict and Railgun Combat.

Fortunately, BLACK HOLE DEITY are very much saving the best for last here. While the opening ten minutes or so were solid, but nothing overly spectacular, the closing one two punch of Multiverse Incantations and Lair of the Xenolich‘s furious title track show there’s something pretty special in BLACK HOLE DEITY‘s arsenal. Multiverse Incantations is a masterclass in chaos. Technicality used for atmospheric, violent purposes rather than technicalities sake shines through here, while dissonance is key and the solo work is a true trip into the cosmic void. Meanwhile, Lair of the Xenolich is perhaps the best example of a straight rager to be found on the EP, over all too soon as the stellar riff work brings BLACK HOLE DEITY‘s debut release to a close.

There is a lot of potential for BLACK HOLE DEITY. The quartet have got something solid here with Lair of the Xenolich; an interesting concept, a couple of straight bangers and some dazzlingly esoteric song writing chops that are, frankly, under utilised. However, the band still have a ways to go if they are to cement their play in modern death metal’s hierarchy – whether they can capitalise on the potential shown here and deliver something truly monolithic for a debut remains to be seen.

Rating: 7/10

Lair of the Xenolich is out now via Everlasting Spew Records. 

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