Album Review: Ungraved Apparition – PULSE_0 (GrimmDistribution)

PULSE_0 is the debut album from Russian metal unit, Ungraved Apparition. It will be unleashed into the world on April 23rd 2017 via GrimmDistribution).

The band describe the idea behind the album as a merging of two worlds. The world of depression and despair from incurable diseases, the sadism of bloody surgery experiments & the afterlife. All inhabited by the suffering souls of the dead people, the chilling horror of which is squeezed by convulsive cries in the throat.

Ungraved Apparition play dark, heavy music with uplifting melodic moments as evident on opening track, Кома. Deliciously evil sounding vocals with some stomping riffs & rhythm that sticks in the brain like nasty glue. The marker has been laid down very early.

What’s really interesting about PULSE_0 is that every even numbered song is just a minute to two minutes of the sounds of Hell. Going off Спаси! (Intro), it’s clearly designed to unsettle as we hear the sounds of a man being tortured before an absolute belter of a chugging riff brings in Спаси!. A short slap to the face, the 2 minute song stuffs in some really evil sounding music.

After the screams of a woman die away, Ungraved Apparition cement just why PULSE_0 is a real contender for album of the year. Тот, кто не дышит is stunning. 4 minutes of melodic metal that is chock full of intense hooks & memorable riffs. Everything just gels so well together. The raspy vocals, the brutal drum beats…it’s simply sublime.

There is no denying that melodic metal can start to sound samey & many a band struggle to maintain quality throughout. Ungraved Apparition are not one of those bands. A lot of why PULSE_0 sounds so incredible are the short intros to each track. The sounds of screams & people in pain helps builds atmosphere that flows perfectly into the songs..

That & the absolutely stunning musical talent on show with perhaps the brief guitar solo moments standing out the most (the one on Неумершее явление is unreal).

As the album nears its conclusion things get even darker & more twisted sounding. The sound of tearing flesh leads into the moody & oppressive sounding Гнилостные бактерии. The slow methodical style of the drums mixed with a soaring guitar solo is one of the best moments of the entire album.

It’s hard to find any faults throughout PULSE_0, the production is spot on. Crisp & clear with every note, vocal echo & disgusting trip into the macabre highlighted. It’s genuinely disappointing when the wails, screams & laughs of those in pain signal the end.  Пыль (Intro) caps off the hellish atmosphere created by the intros before a slow, straight-forward melody introduces Пыль fully.

Everything that came before has been building to this, a song that shows off everything that came before & then some. High levels of aggression but with melancholy moments that darken the mind, it’s a stellar finale.

Simply….wow. Hear this album.

Ungraved Apparition – PULSE_0 Full Track Listing:

01. Кома
02. Спаси! (Intro)
03. Спаси!
04. Тот, кто не дышит (Intro)
05. Тот, кто не дышит
06. Неумершее явление (Intro)
07. Неумершее явление
08. Гнилостные бактерии (Intro)
09. Гнилостные бактерии
10. Гангрена (Intro)
11. Гангрена
12. Пыль (Intro)
13. Пыль

You can order Pulse_0 through Bandcamp here & find out more about Ungraved Apparition through their official website here (it’s in Russian though).