Fetid Zombie – Transmutations
Band: Fetid Zombie
Title: Transmutations
Label: Morbid Visions Music (MC) / Transcending Obscurity Records (CD)
Release date: 30 July 2021
Country: USA
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording and tape recording
The USA has a long great history in the development and creation of the now called Death Metal, giving us timeless classics of the genre throughout all these years and pushing the boundaries of Death Metal towards the future with such innovation and unique vibes, one example of this is the new Fetid Zombie EP called “Transmutations”, a voyage to a unique and distinctive Death Metal album offering a great refresh breath to the genre.
This EP begins with “Chrysopoeia”, a beautiful song giving us an appetizer of what we can expect for the rest of this release, a kind of atmospheric Death Metal with great progressive vibes progressive without exaggeration, very well performed, yet, still heavy.
“Conscious Rot” is a perfect example of what the word “epic” means, a simple, yet contundent riff, began to surround our ears while suddenly, the bells are tolling in a majestic way, just only to start with a soloing conglomerate at the best Schuldiner style, fading in a beautiful melodic ballad interlude, ending with a riff at the best Black Metal style, only sounding Death Metal.
“Beyond Andromeda” start with a fantastic dual guitar battle, at the best Thin Lizzy style, followed by a harmonizing solo taking us to the ultimate sideral space confines, sounding like a kind of melodic Rotting Christ “Triarchy of the lost lovers” style, this kind of style is clearly accentuated in “Dreamless Sleep Awaits”, taking elements of Greek and Portuguese melodic Black Metal bands to use in a Death Metal band, ending the song with the best melodic Finnish death metal style, remembering bands like Enter My Silence in the mid ’90s.
“Deep in the Catacombs” is a total hail to old school U.S Death Metal, mainly a Death “Spiritual Healing”, “Human” era mixture, with an elegant touch of Pestilence “Testimony of the Ancients” style, in this song, the James Murphy soloing style is a clear influence, and a great addon.
Ending with “Breath of Thanatos”, a furious galloping riff that suddenly gives space to a beautiful slow atmospheric arpeggio interpretation, accompanied by a beautiful female choir, as an intro to the great voice performance seeing throughout the fill entire EP, is a song that mainly expresses anguish and lamentation accompanied with such a fury turning in beautiful melodies, ending with an elegant ballad extracted from beyond the realms of death.
What I most liked about this EP is the clever combination of beautiful melodies harmonizing between all the instruments set, the female voices inset with the growling voices, the great keyboards accompaniment, all of these elements with tight guitar sounds and mixing different metal styles, creating a unique Death Metal version that’s usually is not seen these days, Mark Riddick has a clear path to his Death Metal Project, following the Chuck Schuldiner‘s path in search of excellence in Death Metal genre and pushing the boundaries of the genre beyond the traditional style, is a great surprise to found this kind of proposal giving fresh air to all metalheads that enjoy the majestic Death Metal genre, easily could be one of the best Darth Metal Release in this XXI century.
The LP Release will occur on October 31, 2021, via Transcending Obscurity Records in vinyl format, you can hear the EP (Check links below)
I give this album a solid, well-deserved 9, this project is destined to be an Epic Death Metal legend! 9/10 Tatgren
Labels
Morbid Visions Music
(No contacts)
Transcending Obscurity Records
Site
Facebook
Bandcamp
Instagram
Twitter
YouTube
Store EU
Store US
9/10 Epic storm
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre**
#WeAreBlessedAltarZine
#TheZineSupportingTheUnderground