Review Summary: Waltz into deathly embraces…
At thirteen minutes,
Foul Formations isn’t an obtrusive listen, but it is the vicious American-style death metal of Conjureth. Having left Ghoulgotha’s dissolution behind Wayne “Elektrokutioner” Sarantopolous, the Father Befouled and Encoffination drummer left older fans wondering whether he’d surface from death metal’s bowels to make something entirely his own again. Conjureth’s debut EP,
Foul Formations is a stark representation of cutting death metal formlessness, revelling in the sound developed in the genre’s “older” classics - without the natural hampering of cloning a signature soundscape.
I realise that’s still a broader description of the modern takes on older schools of death metal, but there's something in the experimentation of “The Void Caressed '' that's less than subtle… and considerably more blunt. Continuing, “At The Foot Of Kneeling Worlds” is brooding, but rabid and punishing. The Ep’s mostly up-tempo passages hide the music’s occasional flourish of progressiveness under mountains of double bass and warbly, high-octane riffs. The latter half of “At The Foot Of Kneeling Worlds” showcases dashes of melody, as well as dual guitar solos while offering an instrumental onslaught that holds each feature well together.
Despite the EP’s knack for bringing some aesthetically pleasing deathly elements together,
Foul Formations is too abrupt. The run-time,( while matching the release format well) is too brief and doesn’t flesh out the possible majesty on offer here. Don’t confuse what’s being said however; this is a rock-solid, proficient and explorative little death metal effort. Put simply, this is a dick tease for a possible release four times the duration of this little EP.
