ALBUM REVIEW: Agalariept, "“Desde el Supremo Reino”

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 03/01/2023
Label: Independent

 
“Desde el Supremo Reino” DD track listing:
 
1. Inframundo
2. Cirugía Macabra
3. Miasis
4. Putrefacto
5. Festín
6. Lobotomía
7. Inútil Fe
8. Averno
9. Desde El Supremo Reino
 
The Review:

Chile has given the metal world a number of great things; Tom Araya, Anton Reisenegger, Procession… and that’s the tip of the iceberg. Lurking much further underground than the aforementioned are Agalariept.
 
This is technical death metal, with lots of thrash leanings and melody through the lead work. Nine tracks in total, with impressively concise playing times (generally three to four minutes). This is reliably weighty and also riffy- the blasting sections never get too much and are counterbalanced with thrashier pacing. It’s all in Spanish, so to understand any of the song titles or lyrics you will need to translate it. That hasn’t spoiled my enjoyment of this at all, though.
 
Agalariept definitely have that Latin flavour that means that genres are crossed with each other a fair bit (kind of like the way earlier Sepultura was thrash, but had death metal in there and even black metal at the very start).The leads are superb, the playing is great and the production really suits this type of music. It’s extreme, of course, but it is also very listenable and easy to bang your head to.
It’s all very consistent and hard to pick stand outs. I liked the pacing of “Putrefacto”, but equally the opener “Inframundo” is just as representative of the band’s vibe. There are no bad tracks, they are all well-paced and don’t outstay their welcome and if you like whatever you hear first… you’ll like the whole thing!
 
“Lobotomia”, “Averno”… all stellar tracks. Quite simply if you do like your death metal with a South American slant and melting pot of styles, this should be right up your street. Whether Agalariept garner the kind of attention they should on an international level remains to be seen, but at least the internet (and bandcamp in particular) allows people from anywhere in the world to at least have the opportunity to hear their music. The album absolutely rips all the way through, so give this a go and hear for yourself. Superlative South American Savagery!
 
“Desde el Supremo Reino” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

REVIEW: Born A Ghost, "“Stairway To An Empty Room” [EP]

By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: EP
Date Released: 02/01/2023
Label: Independent

 
“Stairway To An Empty Room” DD track listing:
 
1). 43
2). Halls of Disrepair
3). Stairway To An Empty Room
4). When The Last Light Fades
 
The Review:
 
Twenty minutes of death doom with some post metal thrown in. That’s what you get here. But you also get more; there are synths (I assume?) and droning guitars. These guys are out of Tacoma, Washington and sound very bleak indeed. Their bio lists Cult of Luna and Neurosis as reference points, but I can certainly here some early Paradise Lost in here too- at least in terms of the bleakness and the kind of slow dm vibe.
 
This is, it almost goes without saying, very heavy stuff. Opener “43” is dynamic and dark- impossibly so, at times. “Halls of Disrepair” is just as weighty. The band have captured a pretty cool sound- a fair amount of dynamic twists and turns and layering of guitars. The experimental soundscape vibe is certainly Neurosis-esque and most welcome.
 
This EP rounds out with the title track and “As The Last Light Fades”. Again, both are in keeping with the blueprint established in the first half. This EP is weighty, full of despair and very, very good. If you like any of the bands mentioned here, definitely check this out.
 
“Stairway To An Empty Room” is available HERE 

Band info: bandcamp || facebook