By Matt Hinch
Finally rising from the catacombs buried deep in the blood soaked soils of London is the debut full length from Grave Miasma. It is eight tracks of demented and ethereal death metal sure to dampen the spirits of all but the most cruel hearted.
The heart of Odori Sepulcrorum beats with the blood of death metal yet in its extremities doom and black metal in their darkest forms osmose into the viscous stream, returning to the core to coil and penetrate the being, creating an intensely morose and atmospheric beast. The clenched fists of Grave Miasma’s letter-denominated ritualists are filled with malevolence and misanthropy. Skies turn black under the weight of Y’s seething vocals. A’s bass sounds so organically sepulchral as to make the blood run cold. D’s relentless percussion hammers away at the last vestiges of sanity and R (and Y)’s swirling rhythms and harrowing solos wrap your spent corpse in a shroud of secret and mystery.
Tracks such as “Ascension Eye” and “eaxatoc” squeeze the soul to the point of collapse. Here, as on most of the album, the aura is one of the world caving in upon the listener. The ominous mood and nebulous atmosphere ensnare the innocent as Grave Miasma’s venom is unleashed through calling on ancient forces for their boundless and merciless energies.
Ghastly solos erupt from the doomy tornado of lost souls and percussive bludgeoning of “Ororatus Sepulcrorum”. Disembodied screams direct the harassing riffs, wearing down the listener on “Seven Coils” and the devilishly destructive “Ovation of a Thousand Lost Reveries”. Odori Sepulcrorum is a sprawling and magnificent brew of the crushing might of death metal, the downtrodden scope of doom and the atmosphere of black metal. It presses in on the consciousness, making its victims uncomfortable in the least, and rendered mad at its best. It’s an album most grave and miasmal indeed with a putrescent atmosphere soaked in an occultist essence. Odori Sepulcrorum symbolizes the true arrival of Grave Miasma. May the converts flock to their embrace.
(Profound Lore)
