Sauntering through the ruins of a world long decayed, depicting bloodied scenes of mayhemic damnation and accursed conjuration Kadıköy, Türkiye-based death metal quartet ENGULFED return to further refine their craft on this crucial sophomore full-length album. Carrying on with their thus-far indomitable string of releases ‘Unearthly Litanies of Despair‘ once again offers the spellbinding work of this crew in the form of stoic mastery, presenting the highest standards for classicist death metal by way of riff and ruination which is familiar in shape yet signature in the details. A storm into view before steadily sinking into despairing tides this should energize any true death metal fan into deeper morbid enstasis with each listen.

Engulfed formed circa 2010 between vocalist/bassist Serkan Niron (Decaying Purity) and members of Nihil Kaos and Hellsodomy though all but Niron would be replaced by the end of 2011, soon adding longtime members drummer Aberrant and guitarist (and likely main songwriter) Mustafa Gürcalioğlu who we know well from their work in bands such as Diabolizer, Hyperdontia and Burial Invocation. We can rightfully expect that same level of quality musicianship and skull-trampling classicist brutality from this band since formation. In fact you could take one quick ride through their debut EP (‘Through the Eternal Damnation‘, 2012) and get a very clear sense of what they are doing today right off the bat with diabolic and menacing ‘old school’ death metal brutality which exaggerates the infernal step between Incantation-esque gloom and the performative standards of Morbid Angel in creating a certain classic melodic standard for pure death metal, if we can simplify in the most basal sensorial way. I particularly enjoy the vocals on that first EP, deep and rotten in a way which was never exactly replicated in their more fleshed-out productions beyond that point.

In search of deeper precedence, and since I’d not been familiar with their debut LP (‘Engulfed in Obscurity‘, 2017), I’d come across descriptions of their first album as something like ‘Diabolical Conquest’ taken to task without the usual caverncore haziness. This neatly side-steps the importance of bands like Dead Congregation upon serious, morbid and blasphemic death metal but beside this point we can say once again each of Engulfed‘s releases have been entirely consistent in maintaining their core approach and sound. The main takeaway from that LP in hindsight is its atmospheric exaggerations, broader-swung motions found in songs like “Demonic Manifest of Devastation” which characterized the evolution of their approach at that point. The need to find deeper distinction from the emerging tides of Hyperdontia, another apex-level Gürcalioğlu joint, seemed to result in the next phase of approach for Engulfed with their next EP (‘Vengeance of the Fallen‘, 2020) a slightly more harried accost which leaned away from the surreal, voluminous stretches of their debut LP toward a more immediately struck attack which’d toyed with some of their best semi melodic dual-guitar phrasing. It set the expectations for whatever came next very high.

Beyond that point they’ve added second guitarist Can (Burial Invocation, ex-Nex Carnis) and if you are keeping track here that means of course the next point of distinction to manage is setting Engulfed‘s efforts apart from the 2021-released debut from Diabolizer since three fifths of that line-up and a key songwriter are shared. This turns out to be an entertaining thought but mostly a non-issue as the enormous sound of ‘Unearthly Litanies of Despair‘ strikes the ear in a similar way with its propulsive drumming, backgrounded but still growling basslines, and equal presence between its thunderous guitar layers and lung-emptying vocals but all of this arrives in a tradition that they’ve been molding into its own shape since that first EP back in 2012. Of course I’ve spent this much time considering the walk-up to this new album because it is of the higher standard for death metal which still lives and breathes the mortifying breath of ‘old school’ blasphemic death metal muse.

The first impression made by opener “In the Abyss of Death’s Obscurity” is that this album will generally press forth with the directly spoken voice and amped production values of ‘Vengeance of the Fallen‘, presenting a passage between releases which is rife with tension and imposing within its blasting-speed yet already showcasing the masterful interplay between the two main rhythm guitar channels. Though I don’t intend to reduce the point of ingress to pure momentum as there are several ingenious details within said song it was the ‘Covenant‘-era Morbid Angel main verse on “Voidwalker’s Dominion” that first struck me and got me to pay closer attention, a damaging ride which is paired with a late 90’s Immolation-esque dread-bound resonance which hangs its gloom beneath a worthy solo or three as they thrash between those two modes. If you’re one to count and parse the direction and relation of each riff in any given song you’ll note a classic and well-thought scour within just these first couple of songs which is entirely based in peak ‘old school’ death metal canon and its post-’94 exaggerations while still stopping short of actual brutal death metal.

Whipping, wailing and dive-bombing low… Lead guitars are not the -most- important part of this album in terms of its greater impact but they do bring some distinction to the listening experience as Gürcalioğlu indulges in nigh lava-dripping personae here and there on this latest iteration of their sound. “Blasphemous Despair” is probably one of the more notable examples of the lead guitarist managing a commanding presence even when armed with little more than a crybaby wah pedal (see also: “Cursed Eternity“, “Ancient Abyssal Conquest”) which he is able to wield with appreciable severity and restraint, escalating the already intense atmosphere of the song in most every case. “Blasphemous Despair” finishes the thought on Side A in a very simple way, closing the piece with just a couple of repetitions of a clean riff similar in tone and movement than the one that’d opened the album, this vaguely carries said motif through that first half and I suppose brought a moment of considered sentience to the arrangement of the listening experience which is otherwise flowing through in a most classic sense as an eight song death metal album in less than forty-five minutes.

By the time we’ve hit the second half of ‘Unearthly Litanies of Despair‘ Engulfed are still finding ways to distinguish each piece from the next though they’ve been clear enough with the style and reach of this album. For my own taste the brutal dance of “Cursed Entity” and its verse riffs is simple enough as a steadier roll through it but in the context of the full listen it reinforces the more patient, brooding step onto the plateau presented by Side B. You might not notice the energy of the album changing at a glance but with repeated listens the mood takes an appreciable downturn as we hit the flip side of the record. Eight minute closer “Occult Incantations” ends on a high note, a despairing yet stare into the abysm which carries some great use of indirectly stated guitar harmonies, bringing in one last set of new ideas on an album which finds its sweet spot in the middle but never runs out of places to go within each of its ~4-5 minute pieces.

Though we could rightfully consider this album demanding, immediate in its capture of Engulfed‘s enduring voice and severe in presenting a brutal yet ‘old school’ informed standard, the listening experience is not entirely suffocating or all that brutally taxing when left on repeat. As I’d suggested prior these folks operate on the upper echelon for timeless and pure death metal action, a highest standard which they deliver in an effortlessly punishing manner and to some reasonably tuneful results which offer more substance than technical or caustic abandon and avoid trendiness entirely. Otherwise I’d found ‘Unearthly Litanies of Despair‘ thoroughly memorable, easy to leave on repeat and fall into, and overall another pristine wholly considered result from this always impressive band.

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