Album Review: Xorsist – At the Somber Steps to Serenity (Prosthetic Records)

Carl Fisher 2 min read

Stockholm, Sweden’s Xorsist, purveyors of old-school death metal from the legendary scene, will release their sophomore album, ‘At the Somber Steps to Serenity’, via Prosthetic Records on October 6th, 2023.

Are you hungry for the bloody chunks of death metal’s ‘golden’ years? To feast upon the offerings of a modern band drawing inspiration from the legendary Swedish scene? If so, then Xorsist have a mighty feast for you to enjoy.

Following a miserable and melodic intro called A Life in Vain, Xorsist unleash all kinds of carnage with Carve it Out. The chaotic nature of fast and furious death metal, ripped straight from yester-year, but with clear advancements in production so it’s a much cleaner listen overall. The ferocity of this track, combined with the manic head-banger that is Blessed by the Divine, the feral sharpness and bassy groove of Imitation, and the brutal beating that Coterie of The Depraved dishes out, is the stuff nightmares are made of.

If you’re sold on the first half of the album, then you’re sold on the entire thing as Xorsist are not the kind of band to make any abrupt changes to the formula. Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s the same thing over and over again, the three-piece have more than enough fire and fury to keep pounding way in different forms and at different levels.

Tracks like Banished to Obscurity and Distorted Shapes are liable to give you serious neckache. One showcasing just how dark Xorsist can be, the other, how raw they can be. Blasts of filth that sate hunger and thirst for guttural death metal horror.

There might be nothing as fast and feral as Grace, but that is balanced out by the melodic intermission of Darkened Wings. A perfect piece to calm things before Xorsist go above and beyond with the finale that is the title track. Here, they extend into blacker and doomier territories, continuing to beat the senses into submission with ferocious death metal speed and intensity. It just so happens to also be over eight minutes long. An exceptional example of depth and variety that shows a band in a very creative mood.

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Xorsist – At the Somber Steps to Serenity Track Listing:

1. A Life in Vain
2. Carve It Out
3. Blessed By the Divine
4. Imitation
5. Coterie Of the Depraved
6. Banished To Obscurity
7. Distorted Shapes
8. Grace
9. Darkened Wings
10. At The Somber Steps to Serenity




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Xorsist - At the Somber Steps to Serenity (Prosthetic Records)
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