Death Worship is Cvlt Nation Penultimate, the pennant and pinnacle of cvlt music. War metal this brutal doesn’t come often, and collaborations between members of legendary band Blasphemy and Revenge are undisputed for music more than hype or notoriety. And while there is certainly a lot of buzz surrounding this EP, Death Worship presents half of Conqueror’s creative genius, Deathlord of Abomination and War Apocalypse writing all the songs. Joined by Revenge visionary J. Read on drums and Nocturnal Grave Desecrator and Black Winds, this trio is set to rewrite the war metal template.
Some lesser bands blast end-to-end, and don’t feature hooks. Death Worship does, and they needn’t slow down extensively to rest from the improbable blast sections. Their EP, Extermination Mass, is destruction set to music.
These guys have a long, storied tradition to uphold, and on Extermination Mass, they hold the banner high for extreme metal of the most extreme to ever be played. J. Read doesn’t just snare and bass hit blast for the whole EP. He crushes the kit, and Deathlord of Abomination tears through the steel strings. The vocals from Nocturnal Desecrator are spot on, and there’s not a riff on this album worth trimming. The music is fast, caustic, abrasive and violent, but unlike warlords the world over, inspired by the work these guys in Death Worship pioneered, the hooks are here, and the band occasionally delves into catchy riffery to pay tribute to war metal’s roots.
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Also included on the EP is an interview of Deathlord. The questions are pertinent to war metal’s history, the ties with Blasphemy and Conqueror, and the widespread acceptance the band has attained from rabid fans of the underground. Deathlord of Abomination also talks about Nuclear War Now! Productions, the advent of war metal in the guise of Blasphemy, the few bands that comprise the very tiny scene where only the most ardent fans dare profess allegiance, and the influences that drive him to write music of this quality.
“We do this shit for the die-hards,” says Deathlord of Abomination, only so willing to write music that is neither commercially-viable nor popular amongst casual listeners. The bpms here are insane. However the catchy mid-tempo jams pace the blast sections so effectively, and the lead sections feature solos both hyperion and dissonant. There is only one outcome after a listen to this album: you will love penultimate war metal; you will tell pretender from purist, and your playlist will never sound as aggressive and brutal again. Not after Death Worship, and not after a retrospective listen to the bands these guys have turned into legend will fans of this music attest to lesser equivalents.
Let’s hope Death Worship records more albums, but be warned, this is not for the mainstream metal fan to put next to any Slipknot records. Extermination Mass is aptly named for such an event. You can picture a large hole opening up in the universe swallowing galaxies and solar systems whole, rendering stars extinguished and dark, and the world plunging into eternal night, where darkness reigns triumphant, and only the end of existence is in sight. Go ahead, stream this to your travail. Extermination Mass is one of THE most important releases in the last half of this decade, so poseur, prepare for annihilation. Lovers of war metal on Cvlt Nation, pay homage.
