Introduction
Hailing from Eugene, Oregon (United States), Occult Blood released their first EP, “The Room in the Ground,” into the world. Black Metal Promotion premiered the EP on their YouTube channel, and now it’s time for a review. So, let’s dive in.
The Room in the Ground
The EP consists of five tracks, with the premiere on BMP’s YouTube channel featuring an additional bonus song—a cover of “Universal Funeral” by Nattefrost. With a runtime of 28 minutes and some leftover seconds, this EP offers a substantial amount of content. Some might even consider it a full album release, but since the band labelled it as an EP, we will do the same.
So, what can we expect from this EP? To answer that, let’s start with a question: Can music make you feel dirty and grimy? The answer lies within this EP. There’s a rawness and grittiness to it that resonates throughout, perfectly suiting both the album and the band.
While the grittiness is found throughout the entire album, it’s the riffs and distortion that truly give it an extra punch. The vocal work on the EP is decent, delivering a harsh and cold sound that complements the album well. Some may desire a bit more variation in the vocals, but personally, I didn’t mind.
- Toppled Reliquary
- Cairn of the Mage
- Ignoble Draught
- Time’s Mace
- The Room in the Ground
Highlight(s)
The entire album is well put together, and I would like to hear more from this band in the future, but If I would have to pick the highlights to convince you why you should listen to this EP, it would be the following 2 tracks:
“Cairn of the Mage” and “Time’s Mace”
The first track mentioned, “Cairn of the Mage,” immediately grabs your attention with its gritty sound. It pulls you in from the start and continues to deliver throughout. To my ears, it also carries a hint of punk vibe, which adds to its appeal. The vocals and well-crafted riffs come together harmoniously, creating a captivating listening experience.
“Time’s Mace” also shows off that punk vibe right from the start. The relentless drums drive the energy forward, while the impressive riffs add to the overall greatness of the track. This observation holds true for the entire EP, including this particular song. Time truly flies when listening to it, leaving you wondering where all the time went.
Conclusion
So, what’s the conclusion from all of this? Well, it may not be the most groundbreaking black metal I’ve ever come across, but then again, that’s the case with most bands these days. And you know what? That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Not everything has to strive to be better than the rest. The same applies to this EP. Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it, and it came as a pleasant surprise since I missed the YouTube premiere.
All I can say is, if you appreciate gritty and raw black metal, I highly recommend checking out this EP. It won’t leave you disappointed. As for me, I eagerly await more releases from them and hope they maintain this level or even exceed it.
Links:
Bandcamp: The Room in the Ground | Occult Blood (bandcamp.com)
Facebook: Occult Blood
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