Album Type: EP
Date Released: 11/07/2014
Label: White Ship Records (CD)/Unspeakable Axe Records (CS)
'Screams From The Catacombs' CD/CS track Listing:
01. Screams from the Catacombs
02. Gateway Among the Graves
03. Cemetery Filth
Cementary Filth is:
Matt Kilpatrick - Vocals, Guitars (lead)
Neal Williams - Bass
Jonah Turner - Drums
Ryan Guinn - Guitars (lead)
Review:
On the surface, you’d be forgiven for thinking Cemetery Filth is just another in a long list of Old School Death Metal™ bands, probably making use of either Dismember and Entombed influences or Autopsy and Incantation influences just because that’s what folks are doing nowadays. Well, you’d be wrong about that. Sure, they’re definitely a nostalgia-minded death metal band, but they’re clearly invested in carving their own niche within relatively narrow confines.
Much like Castle Freak’s EP from earlier this year, Cemetery Filth is seeking out more unique or obscure influences to set them apart. With Castle Freak it was 80s Necrophagia, punk, and Repulsion. With Cemetery Filth it’s a blend of Disincarnate and Carnage to go along with some of the ever popular Autopsy nods. It makes for a much more interesting listen than the average death metal revivalist material and with just a few specific choices, they’ve managed to keep themselves sonically different as well, not just compositionally.
Wisely, they’ve avoided the HM-2/Sunlight Studios sound as it’s starting to become a bit worn out as a production technique. They’ve also avoided the ultra-cavernous Disma-style production, which is again a wise choice. They have enough going on that they don’t need an excess of atmosphere to mask what might be seen as a lack of memorable songwriting. What we get instead is a recording that sounds very much alive but lo-fi, recalling something along the lines of Repulsion or maybe early Autopsy, which fits this style nicely.
At just over thirteen minutes, we’re really only getting a taste of what Cemetery Filth can do, but the future looks bright for these guys, as long as they can continue to find a way to use the past as a template to inspire something stimulating even if a bit orthodox. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, especially in a subgenre dangerously close to over-saturation, but if you’re not adverse to something like this in the first place, this is well worth your time.
Words by: Daniel Jackson
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