EP REVIEW: Transcend – Engulf

New Jersey based one-man outfit ENGULF have been making a hell of a name in the underground recently. With a mission statement of releasing a trilogy of EPs in the build up to a debut full-length, mastermind Hal Microutsicos has struck up a fruitful partnership with Italian based Everlasting Spew Records, who have just released the third EP in Microutsicos‘ trilogy – Transcend. With such buzz around the project already in the underground death metal scene, how does Transcend stack up to ENGULF‘s previous offerings – Subsumed Atrocities and Gold & Rust?

The short answer is very well. Right from Subsumed Atrocities, ENGULF have always harnessed a hyper-technical brand of death metal akin to the works of HATE ETERNAL and VITRIOL. This intensity and technicality has bled into Transcend, but, further highlighting the growth of Microutsicos as a songwriting, this EP is also the project’s catchiest. Opening track Bane Of Fire fades in, bringing a blackened edge and huge, earm-worm riffs over punishing drums before ramping into an infectious aural assault. Further, this is the strongest vocal performance from Microutsicos to date, as he maintains the guttural rawness, but delivers an unprecedented sense of clarity and annunciation.

From Chasms Deep is an immediate highlight from Transcend. Carrying a heavier dose of brutality, From Chasms Deep hits like a sledgehammer delivering dissonance and skull-crushing heaviness at every turn. A further highlight here is the guest solo from VITRIOL front man Kyle Rasmussen. Though his shredding chops should come as no surprise here, the emotion and talent Rasmussen bleeds into his guitar work never ceases to amaze. Birthed Into An Empty Grave keeps things heavy and maintains the breakneck momentum in a wonderfully hook-heavy fashion, creating an oppressive and unsettling atmosphere along the way, while EP closer Drowned In The River Styx ends proceedings on a furiously high octane note.

Throughout the trilogy, we have seen the evolution of ENGULF has Microutsicos has flexed his songwriting chops and found his voice. Transcend stands as the most cohesive and well-written offering from the project to date, and if this is a representation of the calibre that can be expected from ENGULF‘s impending debut, Microutsicos will be primed to take the death metal world by storm.

Rating: 8/10

Transcend is out now via Everlasting Spew Records. 

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