Brutally Deceased are from Czechia, play death metal, and this is their fourth album.
I thoroughly enjoyed 2010’s Dead Lovers’ Guide and 2016’s Satanic Corpse, so it’s been a long wait for the 29 minutes of new music that Chasms brings us.
The Brutally Deceased of 2024 is an evolved predator. While still incorporating old-school Swedish death metal into their crushing sound, the band have greatly upped the other aspects of their style. This means that Chasms boasts the ferocious aggression and technical precision of a band like Hate Eternal, the weighty assault of someone like Immolation, and a blackened veneer that appears in places to add a venomous bite. As another relevant reference point, from a pure raw entertainment value perspective, Chasms also reminds me of Life Desecration by Altars Ablaze, which is a big compliment in my book.
Chasms showcases a band with a shift in sound. Brutally Deceased are still recognisable as the act that gave us Dead Lovers’ Guide and Satanic Corpse, but on their new record they have developed their sound into something fiercer and more intricate. The songs are brutal and dark, with a clarity of sound and execution that’s lethally sharp. There is heaviness aplenty, but also engaging melody that splashes the music like arterial colour. The riffs are crunchy and crisp, and the songwriting right and focused. It’s a solid collection of songs, and Brutally Deceased’s new album hits the sport with considerable force. My only complaint is the pointless interlude track Gilded Wound. I don’t know why almost every band feels the need to include something like this, but apparently I missed the memo. Regardless, it’s a waste of space, but it’s only 50 seconds.
Minor misstep aside, Chasms is a very satisfying album that’s easy to listen to again and again. It gives the listener an adrenaline-soaked hit of death metal that sounds simultaneously ancient and timeless. Brutally Deceased’s combination of simple/complex riffs, and their ratio of pummelling drums, melodic depth, and gruesome growls, is infectious and effortlessly enjoyable.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 