While it may take some bands awhile to fully find their style, others come out of the gate with a clear vision of what they want to do and songwriting that is already at a high bar. Ascended Dead has always felt like the latter to me, as even their earlier demos and EP’s showcased a group that was focused on the more rabid early Swedish and American death metal sound but there was some substance underneath the chaotic and fast exterior. This held true on their 2017 full length Abhorrent Manifestation, and it’s an album that has continued to hold its own in the years since. I’ve been wondering when we’d get another full length worth of Ascended Dead’s take on the genre, as they’ve only released a handful of tracks on splits since Abhorrent Manifestation. This year’s Evenfall of the Apocalypse answers that question with a bang and continues the band’s whirlwind destruction of everything in their path.
Despite the first track being called “Intro/Abhorrent Manifestation”, the intro is only the briefest bit of ambiance before the fast and furious instrumentation comes roaring in. Ascended Dead’s core sound remains the same, as they continue to offer a rollercoaster ride of fluid riffs that go from fast onslaughts to slightly slower but still fast attacks. There’s still a lot of Morbid Angel and early Swedish death metal to be found on this album, but where this group has always stood out amongst the hordes of others going for this same style is in the nuance of their attack. Evenfall of the Apocalypse fine tunes this approach even further, with songs flying by quickly but offering intriguing individual riffs and solos that stand out the longer you listen. Despite the similarity of their construction, there are distinguishing elements between the songs and the run from “Tantum Bellum” to “Visceral Strike” is some of the better death metal you’re likely to hear in 2023. Ascended Dead once again offers up an instrumental interlude in the form of “Passage to Eternity”, but this one showcases a bit more diversity compared to “Dormant Souls” on the last album. Things start off soft and ominous with acoustic guitar but build up to a mix of acoustic and electric guitars that cerate a dark and tense atmosphere. My only complaint is that it feels a bit oddly placed and feels like it could’ve fit better around the mid-point rather than near the end. The production is deliberately muddy which makes for a more abrasive sound, but it does obscure some of the details, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your personal tastes.
The vocals throughout Evenfall of the Apocalypse are just as intense as the instrumentals, which makes for an immense sounding album. Right from the first thirty seconds or so of “Abhorrent Manifestation” you’re met with ear piercing shrieks and lower growls that feel like they add a layer of grime and decay to the recording. The murkiness of the production does make it so the vocals sometimes struggle to break free from everything else that is going on, but when JR reaches some of his highest pitches they do manage to steal the spotlight. This is particularly true on “Visceral Strike”, where he hits some shrieks that recall some of the more over the top thrash and death/thrash. Not every vocalist can pull this off without it sounding strained, but the additional extremity works here and makes Ascended Dead the complete package when it comes to destructive and dark death metal.
In the six years that have passed between albums, Ascended Dead has made some tweaks to their formula that have resulted in an even more destructive and nuanced effort. They still provide plenty of churning, fast paced riffing that takes the listener on a wild ride, but there are details that make specific tracks stand out and the solos are some of the more memorable I’ve heard this year. Like most years there is a lot of quality death metal out there vying for your attention, but this album has some real mileage. Evenfall of the Apocalypse is available from 20 Buck Spin.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg