DROWNED (Ger) – ‘Idola Specus’ CD

German death metal has never commanded the same cultural cachet as the Swedish or Floridian varieties, but between Necros Christos’ upcoming Nine Graves EP and the miraculous return of Drowned, that just might change soon. It’s been eight long years since the sporadically active Berlin trio released the much-worshipped and near-perfect Viscera Terrae EP, but the wait has finally ended. The dark, murky death metal tones we’ve come to expect, ramping up the intensity tenfold.