Album Review: Dead Exaltation – Despondent (Self Released)

Dead Exaltation is a technical/progressive death metal band from Pune, India. They began in 2015, drawing inspiration from a variety of bands, including Cryptopsy, Cattle Decapitation, Gorod, Spawn of Possession, and Cynic.

Over the years, despite the ups and downs, Dead Exaltation has carved up a ferocious reputation for themselves in the Indian extreme metal scene. With the release of their debut album, Despondent, on February 5th, Dead Exaltation is all set to introduce the world to their sonic craft.

Building up dread with the sounds of horror on Gloom, the intro is a cold and hopeless start. Hold on though as the heat is coming with the fiery death metal sound of Involuntary Emasculation and the roaring brutality of Coerced Sewer Ingest. Dead Exaltation splaying out their immeasurable savagery with the confidence of a band who know they’ve crafted a beast of a listen here.

It is a beast too. The familiar sound of crunching death metal with a technical twist, the riffs and drums blaze but the vocals are particularly harsh sounding.

An intermission of sorts with the hellish The Conversation before Dead Exaltation continue the mugging with The Psychology. A track that upends the formula by shifting the tone with an excellent melodic latter part. It shouldn’t work but it really does.

The Transformation has no melody but makes its mark by being one of the wildest bouts of technical guitar riffing and shredding on the album. Omnia Mors Aequat then enhances a dark mood with eerie guitars before erupting like a lanced boil and In Purist of blazes with the power of Dead Exaltation’s chunky riffs and pounding percussion.

The title track is what closes out a raging fit of noise from Dead Exaltation. A meaty and mean finale with all the intensity of a stampeding army of bulls.

India has produced a ton of quality heavy bands over the decades and Dead Exaltation can proudly join that group. What does the future hold for them? We shall have to see but hopefully they are able to come back stronger.

Dead Exaltation – Despondent Full Track Listing:

1. Gloom
2. Involuntary Emasculation
3. Coerced Sewer Ingest
4. The Conversation
5. The Psychology
6. The Transformation
7. Omnia Mors Aequat
8. In Pursuit of
9. Despondent

Links

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