United Kingdom’s blackened death metal band Grave Miasma have been an unstoppable force throughout the last decade to continuously make a household name in the underground extreme metal world. I found out about this band after listening to their 2016 EP Endless Pilgrimage, and from what I’ve heard I was extremely impressed by how dynamic, unsophisticated and unadulterated sounding their music was combining elements of black metal and death metal signatures all in one made the album cohesive, expansive and they’ve stretched out many different ways to make the music as chaotic and atmospheric. This time around, Abyss Of Wrathful Deities is the band’s second full-length and is the continuation from 2013’s Odori Sepulcrorum which been getting tons of praise and recognition for their structures, compositional work and the detail put into the album feeling so unapologetically heavy and explosive to make the album as complex and progressive to a certain degree.
Abyss Of Wrathful Deities is co-released through both Dark Descent Records and Sepulchral Voice Records which are fantastic record labels specializing in having upcoming and heavy hitters in extreme music today. Musically, Grave Miasma’s style, structure, tone and technical proficiencies are almost as simple if you were listening to some of the finest underground bands in the community influencing from Dead Congregation, Imprecation, Teitanblood and Necros Christos but more occult, darkened, blackened and Afterlife theme style of blackened death metal, Grave Miasma’s embodiment of work is truly one of a kind as you have to develop and interpret the amount of detail and musicianship these British individuals were able to justify what it exactly means to be in a extreme metal band. Songwriting here is more improved and matured since there’s more detail and thought into the process on writing these songs brings out depth, character and meaning.
Production wise, this album is well produced and overstayed its welcome since there’s some passages where it feels atmospheric, feels dark and cohesive but keeping that traditional formula and soundscapes Grave Miasma is known for. Everything about the musicality, compositions and arrangements they’ve utilized is superior and give such powerful emphasis on delivering a positive response and understanding where the album artwork and content they’ve been providing the listener is extremely engaging and memorable. Tracks such as Kingdoms Beyond Kailash, Under the Megalith and Exhumation Rites for example introduces mellow, down-tuned melodies within the guitar department but with every instrument backing it up to provide a personality and punch to the table just feels appropriate and it never seems to lose its touch.
Even on the second half for this album which every emotion represented is conveyed perfectly not because of the messages these lyrics come to life but rather feel the despair from the vocals itself can make the enjoyment on this album feels welcomed and accepted. But later as you listen to this album, you get a sense of dread, fear, claustrophobia and depravity as these songs give such a symbolic meaning behind the album’s lyrical content and therefore I have to honestly say that Abyss Of Wrathful Deities is a abyssal, mystical, dominant and demanded record that will continuously pave ways to make blackened death and extreme metal music to feel resonated and powerful for generations to come.
Overall Score: 9.0/10
Review by Jake Butler
