The weather is hitting single digits and fluctuating between positive and negative numbers. One might think that under the harshness of winter that the swamp would be in a state of dormancy. But not here. There is a beast that lurks within and it is about to tear out of its lair and drag listeners back to its domain.
Los Angeles, CA death dealers Swampbeast have risen from the murky depths to deliver unto us their debut album: Seven Evils Spawned Of Seven Heads. Though the band only has a demo and a split with Void Terror under their belt, you will soon find that Swampbeast have more sharpened their teeth for this record. For Seven Evils Spawned Of Seven Heads is a gnarly, vicious record.
Right out the gate one will notice Swampbeast has a lot going on. Opening the record with a Vermin Womb vibe, the record is a throaty, fast, heavy slog through an almost sticky atmosphere. Throughout what Swampbeast does best is blend styles. It’s death metal, but it’s also deathgrind, but it's also grind, and it's also blackened death metal. There is no singular commitment to one of the genres and the best thing about this record.
The atmosphere is sticky, as I mentioned, but it is also oppressive. Delivering beatdown after beatdown, tracks like “The Blind God” and “Thy Flesh Sustained” are like the band is chasing down the listener. The vocals acting like a vicious creature barking out and echoing from the shadows, and the drums like thundering hooves.
Slower moments scatter on the album too. The band favors fury, but has no problem breaking things down and keeping it evil. Tracks like “1000 Years of Pestilence” are slower, even doomy. Though the track is still thoroughly aggressive, it feels comtemplative. “Chasms Encrusted With Malformity” serves as an ambient interlude piece, and the final track “Spell of Decay” is an epic slice that hovers between the quicker and slower stuff, taking us out on a high note, and a sweet, sweet guitar solo.
Concerning the album thematically, drummer/vocalist Marecov Mena had this to say about the record:
"Seven Evils Spawned of Seven Heads is our combined view of the world. What we see as destined for mankind as well as our own outlet for the things we can’t stand about society. We’re fed up with the current system of things – being led and lied to by pedophiles, racists and killers. The world eats at itself. Two of us had near death experiences years ago. We can’t help but reflect on those moments and let our survival drive us forward. We are already writing and working on our next release, and hope one day soon we’ll be able to tour and share what we have with our peers in the Metal community."
This album is phenomenal. Anyone into death, grind or deathgrind needs to get on this immediately. There is a new monster in town and it is here to rip and tear. Order here.
Swampbeast Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
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Cover Art by Rodrigo Salvatierra
Photo by Ron Yamasaki
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