OBSCURIAL Heretic CD

The staggering 2nd full-length by this Malaysian band. Obscurial is one of the most promising, up and coming Death Metal bands from Asia, being spawned in the sewers of K-Hell (Kuala Lumpur) back in 2019 and breaking into the local underground scene with "Exaltation", their debut 2020 demo. Carved-up by hands informed by true old school Death Metal, these folks had already proven their mettle with their opera prima in full-length format, "Funeral, Burial and Rites" (self-released in December 2021), an album that helped them obtain more recognition and following in the underground Death Metal community, and here within the festering guts of album number two, titled "Heretic", they cement that brutal superiority with a harder, faster and even more atmospheric undertaking. Obscurial's approach to timeless Death Metal includes gut-wrenching riffs, somber melodies and a dismal atmosphere influenced by the likes of Brain Dead, Grave Miasma, Morbid Angel, Bloodbath, Incantation, Dismember, Deicide, Grave and Darkthrone ("Soulside Journey" era). Garnished by Arifullah Ali's mesmerizing cover art, "Heretic" is an aural force to be reckoned with.