Of all the different styles that are out in the vast network of filth that we know as the metal underground, there are certainly a few that get a certain wrap for one reason or another. The unholy union of black and death metal is one that gets a decent bit of flack for a multitude of reasons with there being many instances where bands can sound almost painfully similar with it oftentimes feeling like there aren’t enough bands to really infuse the style with real life and menace. Look in the right place, however, and you’ll find a menagerie of acts that are more than up to such a task. With its sophomore album, Swampbeast makes it clears they’re such a name for the job.
There’s always a particular fiendish attitude that’s always been pervasive in black-death metal for as long as I’ve known it, and while there are certainly tons of different acts out there that are still able to bring forth such madness, it’s those that manage to take their power to different planes altogether are what really keep me coming back to the realm where two of the most extreme of metal’s sound come together. On occasion do we see an act deliver on such a scale, but it’s in the rare event of bands like Swampbeast that we’re able to really bear witness to what the sound is still very much capable of when put in the right hands. Relentlessly thick and never once taking survivors, the sheer magnitude of “Offering of Chaos, Lamenting in the Blood of Man” sees Swampbeast improve upon an already imposing sound that was nothing to underestimate given what we saw on the band’s last album, but it’s every factor that seems to be greatly enhanced for the very entirety of this magnificent beast of a creation. An extremely menacing and diverse blend that sees black and death metal at the forefront while taking cues from all over the vast spectrum of metal music, “Offering of Chaos” leaves nothing on the table. Whether it’s in the form of distorted riffs driven by the blood-curdling screams of the long-damned or a sudden, brief reprieve before another violently deep plunge into the heart of madness from whence there is no true return. No matter where you turn in the whole of “Offering of Chaos”, the terror of Swampbeast does not easily relent with the very notion of hope something that you should’ve abandoned at the very onset of this ferocious offensive.
In many different ways, this is what has always made black-death metal such a terrifying beast to begin with even after all these years of bands seeming to retread the same ground over and over again. With more than enough nuance and power to sate the bloodthirst of whatever is to come before them, Swampbeast has certainly made quite the case for considering them as a powerful contender in the dense mire of blackened death metal that they’re clearly at home in. Whatever is to come next, the very filth of “Offering of Chaos, Lamenting in the Blood of Man” is not going to wane easily any time soon with the record sure to become a landmark in Swampbeast’s catalog as they continue to evolve.
“Offering of Chaos, Lamenting in the Blood of Man” releases on May 31st via Translation Loss Records!
LISTEN to an advanced track from “Offering of Chaos, Lamenting in the Blood of Man” on Bandcamp here, or via YouTube below.
LIKE Swampbeast on Facebook here.
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