ASHEN TOMB – Ecstatic Death Reign

vote
6.5

• Bands:
  ASHEN TOMB
• Duration: 00:39:44
• Available from: 10/18/2024
• Label:

• Everlasting Spew Records

Streaming not yet available

Immediately striking for its green cover, “Ecstatic Death Reign”, Ashen Tomb's first full-length.
The Finnish death metal group reaches this milestone after an EP and a split that had already aroused a certain interest within the underground scene. The band therefore faces the long-distance commitment with a proposal that tries to stay away from the most predictable clichés, moving in a territory that embraces different death metal currents, combining rather heterogeneous influences in a structured and dense sound.
The work of the quintet appears here as a fusion between a certain cavernous and sepulchral death metal, attributable to what happened in the contemporary underground thanks to names such as Krypts, Funebrarum, Corpsessed or Cruciamentum, and more recognizable and 'popular' elements, with certain uptempo that bring to mind the early Cannibal Corpse, characterized by a more aggressive and direct sound. This curious mix between dark scores and more grotesque and brutal riffs gives the album an overall particular character, potentially capable of attracting different types of listeners within the death metal scene, vaguely following the example of mid-career Bloodbath.
The multiple influences that pervade “Ecstatic Death Reign” are greatly reflected in the structure of the songs, which are often complex and far from the traditional song form. Each track is a mosaic of riffs that overlap, between moments of pure fury and others more atmospheric and contemplative, according to a personal logic that one is not entirely able to grasp from the outside.
This approach also makes the pieces rather long, with durations easily around five/six minutes, for an impression that smacks more of controlled chaos than progressive tendencies.
Among the most successful tracks there is certainly “Cave of Staring Eyes”, which stands out for its ability to capture the listener's attention thanks to a fluid and compelling development. Here the band manages to balance passages of aggression and violence well with more reflective drifts, demonstrating a certain taste on both sides.
Looking instead at the tracklist as a whole, the album is not without naivety, as can happen with a reality that is still in its infancy: there are some passages that seem more like fillers and sometimes the variety of influences risks creating a fragmented experience. In any case, this does not mean that “Ecstatic Death Reign” represents a decent first step, especially if you think about the underlying vision and some songs that undoubtedly reveal a certain potential.
If they manage to perfect their formula and give further coherence to the proposal, Ashen Tomb could become a solid presence in the underground scene. For now, the record will easily appeal to today's underground death metal fans, promising good things for the future.