Azarath – In Extremis

[schema type=”review” name=”Azarath – In Extremis” description=”Label: Agonia Records” author=”Basak Günel” pubdate=”2017-04-07″ ]

Azarath is a death/black metal band from Poland. Formed almost two decades ago, the band has a good reputation in the death/black metal scene and they can be thought of as ‘the medium for ungodly sonic terror’. The band has had an impressive line-up, which consists of the founder member Inferno from Behemoth. After 6 years of silence since the release of the predecessor “Blasphemers’ Maledictions”, the band is back with “In Extremis”, which means ‘at the point of death’ or ‘under extreme circumstances’ in Latin.

From the beginning to the end, “In Extremis” is a perfect example of how brutality is depicted into words and melodies. From the first spin, this brutality will captivate you; there is no atmosphere but 40 minutes of straightforward black/death metal and darkness. The more you spin the record, the more you will notice the complexity. Although the band’s style is described as black/death metal, I also caught influences from genres like thrash metal and grindcore and I can definitely say that the band did a great job transforming this harmony of genres into their style and music. I was especially drawn into the brutal vocals and the drums at the first spin but after many spins, all the musical elements – from the riffs to the bombastic drums- as a whole create this perfect complex mosaic that is “In Extremis”. My personal favorites are “The Slain God” and “Sign of Apophis”.

“In Extremis” is definitely recommended to those who like the technical and complex side of black/death metal. This one is not the slow, atmospheric kind but the brutal kind so beware to get punched in the face… and ears! You won’t be disappointed.

Line-up:

Inferno – drums
Necrosodom – vocals, guitars
Bart – guitars
Peter – bass

Tracklist: 01. The Triumph of Ascending Majesty 02. Let My Blood Become His Flesh 03. Annihilation (Smite all the Illusions) 04. The Slain God 05. At The Gates of Understanding 06. Parasu Blade 07. Sign of Apophis 08. Into The Nameless Night 09. Venomous Tears (Mourn of the Unholy Mother) 10. Death

Links:
Azarath Facebook