Country (for what it’s worth): U.S.A.
Recording: Aberration: Black Dust Studio by DH
Recording: Diabolic Oath: Pale Magus Productions
Mix: Black Dust Studio by DH
Mastering: Colin Marston (Menegroth, The Thousand Caves)
Availability: 7”EP (with download card) & digital
Duration: 12:35
Cover art: Misanthropic Art (Chris Kiesling)
Genre: Morbid Death Metal
Introduction: two bleak yet, from aural point, somewhat ‘comparable’ acts joining forces on their befriended label Sentient Ruin Laboratories; both of them coming up with a new piece that lasts for six minutes and something each. Their aim: a ‘declaration of war upon human psyche’ through flesh and wrath!
This vinyl-pressed split-single starts with Divinations Of Flesh (06:18) by Aberration (the one from Minneapolis, Minnesota, for the record; for there are more acts with this moniker). Like a pyroclastic explosion, this track starts like an avalanche, with dismal yet harsh drum-beats, down-earthed strings (four- and six-stringed), sharp soloing and a mostly abominable throat. It’s like a meatgrinder gone frantic. At almost half of the track, things turn down; at least when it comes to the tempo, for the speed decelerates into doomed proportions. So does the ethos, by turning towards an orbit of spectrally-ghastly realms, morbidly slow yet asphyxiating. …before erupting once more towards the end…
The other track is Divinations Of Wrath (06:17), written and performed by Diabolic Oath (Portland, Oregon). It starts in a comparable vein: harsh, violent, fast and uncompromising. Here too, the performance of the drum parts sickens and disgusts, while the grinding, growling and grunting throats pour burning acid and devastating venom all over the vengeful execution. The changes in tempo are legio, yet very organically-performed, with a nice contract, and interplay, of both sharp and spiked, then again quietly-composed, fragments. Once again, the sound is dense and unforgiving, covering this piece in a nebula of nausea and (indeed) wrath.
Conclusion: pay attention if you can appreciate the likes of Ævangelist, Teitanblood, Grave Upheaval, Portal, Antediluvian, UK’s Abyssal etc.
https://sentientruin.bandcamp.com/album/divinations
https://sentientruin.com/releases/aberration-/-diabolic-oath-divinations
https://aberrationdeath.bandcamp.com/album/divinations-of-flesh
https://diabolicoath.bandcamp.com/album/divinations