"Appearing almost completely from thin air, Greek death metallers Gravewards made a small but intense impression with their 2017 demo Subconscious Lobotomy. That independently-released 4-track tape was the kind of death metal too rarely heard in recent years, having the spirit of the original bands but not married to any particular influence or scene. Rather than emulating an album or style they loved, Gravewards paid some homage to the sounds of the 1990s while finding their own way forward.
Now their debut full-length Ruinous Ensoulment is here, and it delivers thoroughly on the promise and the mission statement of their demo. Seven bludgeoning tracks and one intro deep, this album has the band reaching a very early peak in their young career. Songs are technical without descending into wankery, often utilizing the kind of backward, nightmare-logic riffs that initially separated death metal from thrash, but which many bands now have either discarded in favor of straightforward Slayerisms or pushed to an incomprehensible extreme."
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