Gravefields are an international death metal band and this is their second album.

Previously known as Dirtyprotest, this band have now benefited from both a change of name and a change of sound. Whereas the band’s debut album – Hellstorm – was essentially a Swedish death metal affair, Embrace the Void is a wider-ranging beast.

Taking a core of classic, brutal death metal, (and you can still hear the Swedish influences), Embrace the Void offers a wider scope than Hellstorm did. Alongside a few different influences from different death metal styles, the band have also injected elements of black metal into their music. The end result is songs that have greater texture, and combine brutality with melody and atmosphere. Bands like Nile and Sulphur Aeon would be appropriate reference points.

Although the band’s aggressive demeanour is central to their existence – this is death metal after all – this isn’t feral, mindless music. There’s clearly thought and intelligence gone into this album. Interesting riffs, creative dynamics, and strong songwriting mean that the album has a lot for the listener to get their teeth into, and some of the material can be quite epic in scope and delivery.

Gravefields have reinvented themselves to great effect. Embrace the Void is a highly enjoyable album, and I suggest you give it a listen with the volume turned all of the way up.