Pseudogod - Deathwomb Catechesis (2012)

Full Length, Kvlt / Hells Headbangers
April 24th, 2012

Genre: Black Metal/Death Metal
Region: Russia

I'm very late on this one.

Satanic blackened-death fury from Russia. Deathwomb Catechesis opens with cathedral choirs which may lull you into a false sense of security but this is soon shattered by the vicious attack that follows. One might be expecting a traditional bestial assault but while those elements do make an appearance there seems to be a more refined and complex creature lurking within.

Weaving through the drum blasts and barbarous growls the riffs here are brutal and quick. Rather than circling the dissonance drain or wallowing in in the blood of Incantation the guitar is a bit more aggressive, fast paced and bright. There is an undercurrent of technical proficiency without unneeded flare here and rather is reliant on catchy, bouncy, loud grinds that are obviously structured traditionally but manage to skirt too much retreading. This goes for the drumming too: it's ridiculous, moving at blistering speeds. Yes there are momentary lapses into dissonance or sustained dischord but it's used well and sparingly between the furious shreds that mangle themselves into their tremolo equivalents.

Violent and blinding powerchords slam into each other leaving little room breath, churning into an abominable bloody froth. Only a few slower sections are found, such as midway through "Saturnalia", "Necromancy of the Iron Darkness" or "Azazel" and they crush with wicked sways just as much as the clamoring decimation on either side of those moments. "The Triangular Phosphorescence" is quite a hefty final heave of the album, starting off with slow, bubbling dirges and shifting pace at various points with one of the finer moments of cacophony on the album in the middle and then again at the end; crawling at first and then carrying into the hyperspeed percussion. Really a great closer to the album.

What's nice about Deathwomb Catechesis is that while it does fall into the category of the "new wave" of death and black metal revitalization without a doubt it is able to separate from the bestial and war metal tropes a little more than others. It's not breaking new ground but it has definite power behind it.

Another one I'd recommend highly. If you want it you can pick this up over at Hells Headbangers.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)