The blending of metal and horror is perhaps one of the greatest combinations in the universe. There is just something so satisfying about heavily distorted guitars and lyrics referencing seventies and eighties horror films that hits the perfect spot. It’s the perfect soundtrack to your favorite monster movie. 

Seven Doors founder and sole member, Ryan Wills seems to think so too. 

Seven Doors takes its name from the name of the hotel in Italian horror master Lucio Fulci’s classic film, The Beyond. Fulci was well known for his intense and horrifically unrelenting films; making them a perfect match with Willis’ musical output. Seven Doors plays some incredible death metal that is as filthy as it is furious. 

Being a lifelong horror fan, I can certainly appreciate the subject matter included in this release with such titles as “I’ll Swallow Your Soul,” “The Hack Shack” and “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers.” (Or C.H.U.D for short.) With titles such as these you can certainly see (and hear) the passion Wills has for classic horror and cult films. 

Opening with a cool and creepy synth piece by Slasher Dave of Acid Witch, the album starts off with a sinister vibe. ‘Feast of the Repulsive Dead’ brings in the fury with frenzied riffs and some great snarling vocals. ‘Stalked, Strangled and Stabbed’ is an incredible track with some great melodic riffs while not skimping on any of the brutality. 

‘I’ll Swallow Your Soul’, based on the excellent Evil Dead series, is lyrically amazing doing Sam Rami’s film series justice. The song is much more mid-tempo than the rest of the album and includes some haunting solo work. The ending “Join Us!” scream is perfect. 

‘Hack Slack’ turns up the heat once again and includes some Cannibal Corpse-style bass soloing. This along with the pounding drums and blistering solo boggles the mind that this is a one-man project. Hell, I had trouble playing the recorder in elementary school.

The album closes with a cover of Malevolent Creation’s ‘Eve of the Apocalypse that goes hard as fuck. It’s an interesting and obscure choice for a cover but it fits the rest of the album’s tone and feel perfectly. 

2023 is already killing it and Seven Door’s Feast of the Repulsive Dead (Redefining Darkness) is everything any self-respecting death metal fan needs and wants to have in their collection. From the album cover artwork that would not look out of place in any video store’s horror section to the skull-bludgeoning music inside, it demands your attention. It’s sick, twisted, and hard; it will keep you head-banging and is well worthy of a sequel. 

Buy the album here:

https://sevendoorsdm.bandcamp.com/album/feast-of-the-repulsive-dead

8 / 10

ANDREW RISCH