Severed Heaven – Untitled EP

Thanks to the drummer Anna for the CD. Sorry it's taken a while to review, been slightly busier than normal of late. Anyway excuses over, get on with it Chop!

1. The Fallen Flesh Of Worthlessness (Purifying Reign). Quiet before the storm opening, brooding and menacing in equal measure. Guitar tone is absolutely spot on. Pulverising opening riff before tempo changes galore. All are deftly handled with styles varying from death metal to funeral doom, most getting a black metal twist. Title is a bit of a handful, but that's my only negative.
2. Soul Desecration. With a title like that it needs to be nasty and doesn't disappoint. Sludge opening compares more than favourably with Dream Death's debut, faster sections had an early Vital Remains feel. Immense power generated effortlessly.
3. Earth Decayed. Faster from the off, guitars have a black metal urgency. Complex track again, individual sections link well and overall it flows superbly. Lengthy track never lets up.. and keeps you guessing. Like a good slasher movie you are never quite sure when this one's going to end as there are several sections that you would swear are an outro.
4. Darkness Falls. First of the bonus tracks apparently recorded in the rhythm guitarist's basement! Again best likened to Dream Death meets funeral doom, regrettably the production slaughters this one. Re-recorded this would be murderous though!
5. Mercy. The first demo and definitely a case of the shape of things to come. Bridge section is very melodic lulling you into a false sense of security, as the riff that follows is crushingly heavy. Reminiscent of Tsjuder at times.

This CD showcases the band well, if they record a full length album this solid it should sell phenomenally well. My old china Ajeet, from Hellfire studios, engineered the first three tracks and they are stunning. The bonus tracks obviously sound rough in comparison, but with the right tweaking... Quality songwriting and thoughtful arrangements with no unnecessary blastbeating make them stand out from the crowd. They're equally devastating live too. If you like death or extreme metal that's just that little bit different check them out – you won't be disappointed.