Tetramorphe Impure is helmed by Damien from Mortuary Drape, but The Sunset Of Being (Aesthetic Death Records) is not Italian Black Metal, but a brand of Death-Doom leaning more into the Death Metal side of the equation, thanks to the drummer’s fetish for double bass. 

The guitars allow the opening track room to breathe and create a creepy atmosphere. The vocals have a commanding growl, rather than being the kind of despair-filled gurgle that normally comes from Doom. 

These guys are pretty heavy regardless of the genre and give a shit about writing songs, rather than just pounding your skull in with intensity. 

The second song opens with a more melodic guitarriff, but the drummer remains amped up to get things going in a more Death Metal direction. That is exactly where his playing sends the song. The languid chords that would set a more sorrowful Doom mood are not allowed to simmer long enough for that flavor of depression to set in. 

“The Spirit Of Gravity” is a more foreboding stomp. To the band’s credit, they are not content with just pummelling you. The foreboding thunder of their sonic density also has sparse sung vocals buried into the mix. 

The last song finds the band fully indulging in the hyper-aggression of Death Metal. Once the band settles into the verse, a more melancholic guitar tone comes in. The overall feel is Death-Doom, as the double bass starts getting kicked up again midway into this song, which sprawls out at one minute. Though six minutes into the song, they seem to have touched on all the major themes you might expect. They end up going into a clean guitar melody that sounds like something Metallica might have played around with as an intro. 

Their transitions and the swell of dynamics are very effective, even if they allow the songs to sprawl out a bit.

This album should please most fans of Death Metal who have not soley sworn themselves to the nostalgia of the genre’s late eighties golden years. That is one of this band’s strengths: they are heading in their direction rather than just being another Morbid Angel tribute band. 

The only classic Death Metal band whose sonic zip code they drive near might be Incantation. But it is not as blatant as most bands who drag their guitars down into dank caves to get that atmosphere.   

If the Death-Doom sub-genre is normally too entrenched in the pagenry of its melancholy and you wish it took the ambiance of Doom in a more aggressive direction, then this album might be what you are looking for. Their vision of Death Metal makes for a highly satisfying listen. 

Buy the album here:
https://tetramorpheimpure.bandcamp.com/album/the-sunset-of-being

8 / 10
WIL CIFER
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