I find that pressing play on yet another death metal album can evoke sensations of, on the one hand, untamed excitement as to quite how ‘deathy’ this one is going to be and, on the other hand, and a concern that I will be left with that unwelcome feeling that I have heard it all before.
Hailing from this little island of ours, Decrepid have produced an album that plays very much into the hands of my first sensation. ‘Endless Sea of Graves’ is born from the blood pits of the 90s US death metal scene yet manages to pull on a new pair of combat shorts and a long sleeve Obituary top and walk out looking positively respectable.
Opener ‘Fields of Flesh’ and the stomping ‘Plagues of Mortality’ leave very little to the imagination given that their brand of death metal sounds so alive and complete. Whilst the inevitable comparisons will be made to Immolation, Deicide and even Autopsy, the one thing that leaps out to me is the guitar soloing. Where other bands have drawn on the chaotic messiness that suits the genre, Decrepid have used them wisely and injected a tangible beauty amongst the filth.
‘Endless Sea of Graves’ demonstrates something that we have never done brilliantly well at in the UK. And that is to produce simply excellent, no-holds-barred death metal. Many have tried and many have erred, but not here. This is exactly the album you should put on when Gobby Gary from down the garage asks you what sort of music you like to listen to. Death metal, mate.
8/10
https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/endless-sea-of-graves