Album Review: Crucifixion – Paths Less Taken/Raising the Dead (La Caverna Records)

Death Metal from the United States. Official reissue of Crucifixion’s hard to find second album “Paths Less Taken”, also including the unreleased “Raising the Dead” Demo from 1996.

With 14 tracks on this album now, there is a lot of old-school US death metal to enjoy and enjoy most will. It’s a rough and nasty record combining two releases released in second half of the 90s so that should give you some idea of what you’re going to hear here. If you have no interest in old-school death metal then is isn’t going to be for you.

14 tracks that pulsate with power. Death metal power. The chuggy heaviness of Sweating Buckets, the effective horror that is Last Haunted Scriptures and the wild Catholicos Diabolicos (Diabolic Catholics) are the highlights of the first half of the album.

While the second half has the deep riffs of Damned, the 9+ minute twisted eerie brutality of Paths Less Taken and the out and out brutality of Weird Resurrections of the Flesh. There’s not a lot to say, it’s does exactly what it says on the tin.

Crucifixion – Paths Less Taken/Raising the Dead Full Track Listing:

1. Ejercito de Malandros (Army of Thugs)
2. Sweating Buckets
3. Last Haunted Scriptures
4. Cell Block 8
5. Catholicos Diabolicos (Diabolic Catholics)
6. Tecato´s Field
7. Resurrections of the Flesh
8. Damned
9. Stealing from the Dead
10. Paths Less Taken
11. Catholicos Diabolicos (Diabolic Catholics)
12. Paths Less Taken
13. Damned
14. Weird Resurrections of the Flesh

The album can be streamed and bought via Bandcamp here.