It’s a late November evening and the heating in my house doesn’t work. Thankfully, I was able to put on the forthcoming CORPSESSED album Impetus of Death and work up a bit of a sweat while punching holes in my living room wall.
The Finnish death metal act are back after nearly 5 years of silence and oh your god what a return it is. Originally formed in 2007, CORPSESSED have released two EP’s which were followed up by their debut full length Abysmal Thresholds. I’ll be honest – I didn’t totally love the previous release. It was not a bad release by any stretch – it just didn’t really grab me.
“We’ve never been that fast composers,” admits Mäkelä. “But the atmosphere must be there, the riffs must be killer and everything has to be top notch. Plus, we knew we needed to raise the bar this time.”
Impetus of Death definitely brings the riffs and CORPSESSED absolutely raised the bar here.
The opening track ‘Impetus of the Dead’ sets the stage for an unnervingly murky trek through hell. This feeling is only reaffirmed by the lumbering riffs that carry us to what can only be described as the arrival of Satan himself. Straight up, this is the soundtrack to my necromantic rituals from here on out.
CORPSESSED do a bang up job in setting a very dim atmosphere for this record. It’s a death metal record but I can’t help but feeling the doom being hurled towards my head. The doom vibe is especially prevalent on ‘Endless Plains of Dust’ and the ending of ‘Graveborne.’ Speaking of ‘Graveborne,’ this is my favourite track on the record and also happens to be one of the singles… how about that tension and release build up that eventually spirals out of control? This is a brutal track that boasts menacing vocals over pummelling riffs.
‘Begetter of Doom’ is a blistering rollercoaster ride. The diverse, machine gun drumming on this track really butters my egg roll. It’s a gritty track that encapsulates an immense feeling of dread and loathing.
To top off this assault of the ears, we’re left with a nearly 11 minute cosmic-esque track titled ‘Starless Event Horizon’ which goes full circle when tying the whole record together. The first two minutes of this song are what I imagine to be playing while rows of slaves march the depths of the underworld, groaning with every step they take.
I’m not mad at this record. Not one bit. It’s dark, it’s doomy, and at times it’s the equivalent of being bludgeoned to death by a baseball bat. CORPSESSED didn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel with Impetus of Death and that is more than okay with me. The tempo changes, the mood shifts, and the overall songwriting of this record are a testament to how far the Finnish group have come since their last release. This is a solid death metal record. Period. Buy it, spin it, punch your wall, repeat.
Impetus of Death will be released through Dark Descent Records on November 23rd, 2018. Preorder your copy HERE.
