There Debemur Deaths decides, in just over 2 weeks, to put a tombstone on the extreme 2024 by showing off a deadly double with Ulcerated And Akhlys: two of the most monstrous bands of their genres. The guys from Auckland lead the way, people who have made any review superfluous practically from the beginning. In fact, there is no planet or metaverse where the Ulcerated they make the wrong record, and that’s not even the case Cutting the Throat of God.
We proceed along the lines of the previous one Stare into Death and Be Still, with a sound that is apparently more accessible but well anchored to the New Zealand trademark. The Ulcerated they are the active and living demonstration of how we can still play extreme metal in 2024 by reinventing and reinventing ourselves. The result? Judge for yourself.
The album lasts an hour and is made up of seven songs in which the band shows off its entire arsenal. The music of Ulcerated it is a unique and difficult to imitate post-death drift, thanks to a hallucinating songwriting especially in the rhythmic phase. The performance of Jamie Saint Merat behind the skins is the total one, with an imagination and complexity reserved for a select few. Guitars, on the other hand, have a particular dimension in continuous ups and downs between low notes and higher arpeggios capable of offering an excellent contrast; the picture is then completed by the growl of Paul, as always alienating, oppressive and devastating. There are no variations whatsoever and it is probably the only flaw to be attributed to the album: stylistically we are always there and in the long run the total enjoyment of the work could be a little repetitive for a listener who is not accustomed to these sounds, but they are still details .
The paroxysm is reached with the second song, The Dawn Is Hollowwhich is kind of the pinnacle and perfect photography of Ulcerated of the last two works. Long, organic, magmatic compositions, in which the music seems fragile and vulnerable like a kitten and then bites you in the throat like a cobra in an amen and with no possibility of escape.
The Ulcerated they do not give away and have never given anything away: their proposal requires time and dedication, more time and more dedication; they are records that must be savored, experienced, and which at each passage reveal a different detail that had not been grasped before. Cutting the Throat of God it’s yet another hit from a band that has never missed a beat; another piece that adds to an unassailable and constantly moving discography.
The Ulcerated they have no emulators and, to date, they have no heirs. The yardstick of comparison is always and only with themselves; enjoy them, musicians of this caliber are a rare commodity.
