Prophesizing the coming of unspeakable horrors, incanting the damnation of all skinbound souls unto piles of fetid mush and delighting in the putrid landscape that remains Helsinki, Finland-based death metal quartet AZATOTH detail a realm ingested by its own madness on this well-deformed debut full-length album. Rooted as if a polyp in the kosm of old death’s throat but weaponized by moderne metatextural guts the rank pummel through ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy‘ speaks to minds tormented, made restless by the possibilities of Eldritch death and hammer-horrified cruelty abounding. Though this might turn to moldy mush in most hands there is a kinetic alchemical interaction facilitated within the band’s efforts which holds its total solution out of homogeny at all times, making for a solid old-meets-new death metal event sure to yank at the minds of ‘old school’ obsessives and broader canon entrenched souls alike.

Azatoth formed back in 2020 between past/present members of Malformed, Disguised Malignance and Krusifoitu. Though some of ’em cut their teeth within various other projects this band seems to have been a collective locus for a higher standard of death metal pursuit. Sharing interest in the percussive brutality and grinding grooves of the classics their first demo (‘Ruins of Humanity‘, 2021) not only reflected this but contributed to a noticeable influx of newer blood in the post-pandemic Finndeath reality. The signature which began to form from release to release beyond their first official EP (‘Ungodly Carnage‘, 2022) was fittingly dark in its Lovecraftian atmosphere but driven by meatier USDM riffs (early Incantation), Finnish death miasma (Adramelech), punkish deathgrinding spates, and guttural vocals. It was a solid EP and the momentum was upheld by an even more imposing but looser-flung split with Cryptic Hatred (‘Abhorrent Reincarnation / Gorephile‘, 2023) soon after. This new album is both extension and intensification of those traits into a pretty well self-contained longplayer.

Though I’m not sure these artists’ve intended to address the strong influence ‘Symphonies of Sickness‘ had upon early Finnish death metal style Azatoth‘s interest in deathgrind old-and-new factors handily into the intensity of much of their work. That isn’t to say that they’re cut from the same cloth as Sadistic Drive or Galvanizer but you will hear pitch shifted vocal accoutrement, whipping blasts and bizarrely concatenated grooves on several of these songs. Opener “Flooding Human Remains” and its side-channel “Veins of Rotten Blood” offer the most up front example of this but “Blasphemous Flesh” over on he second half carries roughly the same energy. Otherwise the face value read on ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy‘ could reasonably be a crossing of Finndeath’s snappier surrealism, some (very broadly speaking) Carcass-esque tendencies, and chunkier exaggerations of Floridian death metal tactics post-’95.

Dive-bombing leads, guttural roar n’ rasp and a pretty well-proven drummer in Godvomit ensure Azatoth offer surrealistic yet imposing throttle throughout the entirety of this record, they couldn’t sound any more pro yet organisch on approach. With that said don’t allow me to overstate the ‘old school’ spirit of this band versus the more meta-extraction of new and old traits which comprise their undertaking which is surprisingly detailed when taken in rapt attentive listen. This will be most evident as the album fires off its initial salvo of faster-ripping, aggressive pieces but every song has some additional point(s) of interest which keep the mind from straying. Wherever a riff might’ve flatly landed they’ve got a solo, a hit of keyboards or a full-on change up (see: “Abhorrent Reincarnation”) and this helps to differentiate their amalgam as it crushes through.

That first shot of four songs here is inarguably album-worthy stuff, a pretty strong result out the gates with fairly consistent quality when reduced to riffcraft and whammy-bent antics but I’d felt like ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy‘ finds its substance (and some of its loudest flailing) in its second half. “Sulfuric Paths to Agony” feels like a higher standard set as less of a quicker jettison of riffs (re: tendril whipper “Extinguished Souls of Putridity”) and moreso a calculated, spasming arrangement propping up a huge central groove. Similar notes for the trampling Azagthothian vortex of closer “Putrid Altar of Eternal Decay” where I think the more these folks touch upon adventurous pacing, tempo shifts and slowed atmospheric keyboard drenched gravitas the more their work sticks. It gives the impression that Azatoth intend to put on a bigger show, reaching a point of battle between their suggested influences rather than settling them into mushy ceasefire.

While I’d say most modern ‘old school’ afflicted death metal today suffers from a lack of consistent authorship Azatoth don’t have this problem and if anything the clashing which does occur between their core elemental makeup is righteously chaotic, ambitious and barely able to chill on the growl and grind through this debut. ‘Carnal Lust of Blasphemy‘ thrives within these relatively young folks’ ability to float the surreal alongside the cruel, a familiar but no less welcomed sensation which’d wormed its way into skull after just a couple of passes on my part. It is a rare case where we can skip the suggestion of ‘potential’ in a band’s debut and rightfully share in the awe of the punishing but not overworked standard enforced within. A high recommendation.

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