ENGULFED (Tur) – Vengeance of the Fallen MLP

Never ones to rush things nor work in half-measures, ENGULFED now return after a three-year hiatus with a brand-new mini-album bearing the title Vengeance of the Fallen. Truly, upon first listen, the astute will find that the band have outdone themselves here, with every element – songwriting, execution, production, aura, even the cover art – surpassing the highwater wark of their not-inconsiderable debut album. Indeed, Vengeance of the Fallen is aptly titled, for ENGULFED rise from the shadows of their hiatus with a fury and focus that are frankly startling to behold. Sepulchral depths are explored, haunting tremolos squiggle, rhythms cyclone in a manner most labyrinthine, and just the right amount of gleam is applied to their grime, resulting in a surprisingly epic four-song/25-minute landscape of darkness and dread. As ever, ENGULFED astutely walk the fine line between death metal’s old school and its new(er) school of Old School, instead heeding their own internal hells and in turn exhibiting a masterclass of mesmerizing, majestic DEATH.