Album Review: Gravefields – Embrace the Void (Redefining Darkness Records)

Gravefields come crashing through the gates on their debut album, Embrace the Void, like the T-1000 crashed through the overpass in a Semi in Terminator 2. The band are able to mix pummelling brutality with soaring melody that create a really wonderful dichotomy.

The entire album is a solid campaign of Death Metal with hints of other influences sneaking through. And while the band admits their allegiances lie with early 90’s Death Metal ala Bolt Thrower, Benediction, and Dismember, their output is more akin to bands like Nile, Misery Index, Benighted, and even Behemoth. Embrace the Void is out on June 7th 2019 via Redefining Darkness Records.

As teeth-gritting as rubbing a wound with sandpaper, Gravefields offer a churning and chunky death metal offering with their nine-track new album. One that skirts the line between the old-school and modern blackened death style but is all kinds of brutal.

An aural assault on the senses, Gravefields batter away with such force. The crunch of broken bones on Psychoactive Rites, the super-slamming riffs of Sulphur Injection and the blasting drums of Chemical Rampage. The first three tracks of this album is strong enough to leave most beaten and bloodied.

Far from done with the attack, Mind Leech and Voices Above are ear-bleedingly intense. The heaviest of heavy blackened death metal but so very appealing as Gravefields structure the chaos so well.

It’s exhausting listen to death metal that has no give, no moments of respite and absolutely no melodic moments. It’s track after track of unbelievably death metal, just listen to the gutturals of The Devil’s breath, powerful enough to shake the earth’s core.

Of course while it is consistent there is a certain amount of desensitisation as we reach the latter part of the album. It’s still top shelf stuff but the pulverising sensation isn’t as strong in Psychonauts Inferno and Narcotic Warfare.

However, if you’re looking for nothing but pure aggression and noise, something to bang your head too for 50 minutes then Embrace the Void really delivers.

Gravefields – Embrace the Void Full Track Listing:

1. Psychoactive Rites
2. Sulphur Injection
3. Chemical Rampage
4. Mind Leech
5. Voices Above
6. The Devil’s Breath
7. Psychonauts Inferno
8. Narcotic Warfare
9. Void

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Label Website