ASCENDED DEAD - The Advent compilation (2015)

I think I should probably start paying closer attention to a wide variety of labels because the new compilation from Ascended Dead titled The Advent being released through Blood Harvest records (a label I was previously unfamiliar with) is potentially the peak of the old-school death metal revivalist movement.

The Advent is pure revivalist madness. Comparable to Beyond’s 2013 release Fatal Power of Death although this compilation is more melodic in contrast to Beyond’s monstrous and echoed tendencies.

 Don’t get me wrong, The Advent is just as powerful as the aforementioned album, but Ascended Dead’s motivation is clearly more aligned to navigating a melodic journey rather than relying solely on texture. It’s for this reason that I find this to be a much better release; the riffs are filthy as if they were ripped out of the mud, but the aggressive rawness of their aesthetic isn’t their endgame.

Ascended Dead’s true strength comes from their songwriting; foul melodies lead you through an alien realm where filth and decay reign supreme. Where other old-school revivalist bands will show you this world from an imprecise distance, Ascended Dead plunges you right into the murky waters and leaves no stone unturned.

The Advent is available on cassette via Blood Harvest records.