Seprevation’s debut full-length ‘Consumed’ was a solid death/thrash statement from a band after my own heart. The love of all things Atheist, Sadus and, Death spilled out of the damn thing for forty strong minutes of enlightened, maniacal death/thrash. Three years later on this ‘Echoes of Mercy’ EP they’ve pointed their style in the direction of Sadus more than anything else and as a huge fan Sadus ‘Swallowed in Black’ this is a treat to spin through on a regular basis. The compositions are dense and focus entirely on the attack of the riff while simple drum patterns keep things moving as fast as possible. If you’re familiar with groups like Torturer or Massacra you’ll find that same Florida death metal influence and style on this EP.
Other than being a really solid ‘above-the-bar’ entry into this type of death/thrash the interest kind of ends there. They’re a really solid band, and I like that this EP offers a more raw and rhythmically dynamic approach that feels very influenced by Insanity‘s ‘Death After Death’ and the ‘Scream Bloody Gore’-era Death when death/thrash metal still felt psychotic rather than pensive and masturbatory. I felt ‘Consumed’ was a little bit more precise and had less of that live, raw feeling that I get from this EP. I don’t mind trading precision for energy, though I do miss the big riffs from songs like ‘Dreams’.
If you like 90’s death/thrash then you have to check this band out. All of their stuff is of surprising high quality and despite my endless comparisons it doesn’t just sound like yet another cheap retro band. These guys know what made the good ole days of death metal great, and they’ve honed in on the best parts on each release.
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