EP Review: Sarcophagum - Conduits to the Underworld
Reviewed by Daniel Phipps
Started as a side project which features past and present members of Golgothan Remains, Sarcophagum have inked a deal with Nuclear Winter Records to release the bands debut EP Conduits to the Underworld.
Opening this 3 track effort behind a wall of furious kick drums and heavy distortion the band unleashes 'Pits of Hate' and the tone is set instantly for what you are going to experience. It’s a barrage of, to be frank, quite ugly sounding blackened death metal, full of festering dark atmosphere and a real rawness to it. Now take that statement how you want but that is a compliment, when I’m listening to death metal of this style, I don’t want some crystal clear sound I want that level of dirt which will give the tracks some life and you get this right from the start.
The low end heaviness crushes all throughout the EP and this really compliments the darker blackened riffs used all throughout the run time, and the drums all throughout sound superb and punchy especially the kicks which rip through and offer excellent energy to the release. Another huge plus is that Sarcophagum excel in making their lead parts stand out high and mighty over the rest of the track, giving them an extremely epic feel when they are played and the finale of Conduits to the Underworld 'Between Two Worlds' really showcases this at the highest level. The thundering vocal display over the 3 tracks adds to the demonic feel over the EP. They are performed extremely well, with the low growls still being present and not lost within the deep low end of the overall sound. They are present and in your face through each track.
It’s not the most original release you will hear however what Sarcophagum create definitely works well and if you dig artists like Cruciamentum as an example then definitely look this up. It’s got excellent flow and the 3 tracks gel together effortlessly, I’d be excited to hear what a full length set of tracks from Sarcophagum would sound like.
