Corpsessed - The Dagger & the Chalice

There are plenty of similarities between Corpsessed and Gorephilia, a band that I recently reviewed in these pages. Both bands come from Finland, are signed to Dark Descent Records and play a death-metal sonority rooted in old-school methods that brings back memories of old Finnish acts like Demilich, Adramelech and Abhorrence.

“The Dagger & the Chalice” is an EP that features 6 tracks and if you’re familiar with Dark Descent Records catalogue you’ll know exactly what to expect from this EP. A dirty and obscure death-metal that oscillates between moribund, heavy rhythms and faster and brutal tempos, on some occasions the riffs sound like a dying body dragging through a muddy floor, while in other occasions they sound as deadly and vicious as some enraged demons. The formula is relatively similar to Immolation, but has a more European or more specifically Swedish flavour.

The grunts of vocalist Niko Matilainen are extremely cavernous and indecipherable, yet after a few minutes it starts to become a bit tiresome since the vocal versatility is zero. Fortunately, this EP only lasts for a brief 23 minutes, and although it may not to add anything new to a style that has perished, rotten and resurrected, gaining new life in the last couple of years, it’s a fairly listenable work that certainly won’t disappoint the most feverish fan of the style. (5.8/10)

Alex Grimm

Band info: www.myspace.com/corpsessed

Label info: www.darkdescent.net

For fans of: Immolation, Grave, Demilich, Adramelech