From day one, death metal has been nothing if not suffocating. The very nature of the sound demands much from the listener as time has seen the sound become ever more carnivorous and all-consuming with the very DNA of the genre changing over the decades to become a far more horrific beast than when it was initially wrought. Every day now do we see damn near every given act of the sound perpetuating that very madness, yet few are able to bring it about in any sort of meaningful way with even fewer able to retain that suffocating nature and make it interesting at the same time. For almost tens year has Pneuma Hagion been doing just that with their forthcoming album the furthest they've taken the concept to a clear victory.
Even as this album finds itself borrowing more than a little bit from the realms of black metal to further enhance the madness that's constantly being thrown around in every given instance, it's hard to look upon the swirling chaos of "From Beyond" and not feel as though this is death metal without frills. Here for nothing but business in mind, Pneuma Hagion wastes not so much as a single second across all nine of these tracks to ensure not just that they're brand of intensity is something that you aren't able to easily escape from but a magnificent beast that is destined to consume itself once the very whole of creation succumbs to its unbridled thirst that truly knows no bounds. There isn't a track throughout the whole of "From Beyond" that stretches past three minutes in length with it being made clear right from the beginning that this is death metal not content on holding itself back. Lovecraftian in theme as Pneuma Hagion looks towards the outer realms to assault the pathetic mind of us measly humans while it's the pummeling down-tuned approach of unapologetic death metal that eviscerates our flesh without concern for whatever is to follow. Straightforward but all the deadlier for its singular goal, "From Beyond" sees Pneuma Hagion approach a concept we've all seen done hundreds of time with this time somehow feeling fresh, invigorating, and downright terrifying to gaze upon.
While I could see some people arguing that there isn't much substance in this particular approach to death metal with its quick actions, the unrelenting action and otherworldly carnivorous factor come in strong and hard to ensure that Pneuma Hagion does not put forth a performance that could ever be considered one-dimensional. "From Beyond" has all the flair, horror, and intensity that one could ask for out of this kind of death metal, and I can't help but feel as though this is but the start of many successful offensives from the depths of interstellar madness from Pneuma Hagion if the band has anything to say about it.
"From Beyond" releases on August 30th via Everlasting Spew Records!
LISTEN to an advanced track from "From Beyond" on Bandcamp here.
LIKE Pneuma Hagion on Facebook here.
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