Dead Congregation

Following their critically acclaimed full-length on Nuclear War Now! Records earlier this year, Enucleation has seen fit to reissue Dead Congregation’s debut EP for those who missed it the first time around. Fans of old-school American death metal should drop everything and snag both of this band’s releases promptly. Similar to Onwards to Golgotha-era Incantation, with touches of the swirling atmosphere of Immolation and crushing groove of early Cannibal Corpse balancing out the madness, this Greek four-piece pack a serious punch. Severely blasphemous lyrics delivered in a low but audible growl, as well as a noticeable focus on fluidity and atmosphere, keep things well away from the slam-death or "core” realms. This EP is a bit more straight-ahead and derivative than the full-length but when you’re channelling influences from such genre-defining yet strangely underappreciated acts, it doesn’t really matter. It is rare that a group steer so utterly clear of modernity; Dead Congregation are less about reinventing the wheel and more about shooting out their contemporaries’ tires. Purists and newbies alike take note.