The Cleansing

On their debut release, Copenhagen, Denmark's the Cleansing deliver a brutal dose of unrelenting death metal, packed with catchy hooks and pummelling blast beats. The band formed out the ashes of the recently disbanded Usipian by vocalist Toke Eld and guitarists Andreas Lynge and Jeppe Hasseriis, who enlisted drummer Morten Lowe (Submission) and bassist Martin Rosendahl (Corpus Mortale) to complete the group. The Danish quintet combine the classic old-school style of Morbid Angel with the more modern, War of Attrition-era sound of Dying Fetus. The result is aggressive and intense, especially on tracks like "Harnessed" and "Deliverance," while the slower time structures bring a hand-around-the-throat sense of calculated brutality. Although Poisoned Legacy isn't groundbreaking, Eld's crushing gutturals and Lowe's machinegun drumming reign supreme, and the Cleansing prove to be yet another fine band from the underrated Danish death metal scene.