Rex Shachath
We were recently put on to Irish band Rex Shachath, a band who describe themselves as old school death metal. Having only formed in late 2011, the band have already gone from strength to strength, establishing their presence and heading to the studio to record the record we see before us, their debut record, Sepulchral Torment – so what of the music?
As the Intro gets the record going, there’s a sense of darkness formed from the off, a simply guitar line fading into being accompanied by painful sounds, bass heavy rhythms and a feeling that what is to follow is going to be proper heavy – and it is! Launching into title track Sepulchral Torment, the beat assumes the old school death metal approach and we’re thrown into whirling pit of drumlins, hammering guitars and roaring vocals – it’s proper death metal done damned well. This old school approach sounds fresh and new in an industry where there’s all sorts of new approaches, the simply guitar lines doing their job and forming into a track which is going to devastate venues, get pits moving and gain the band a reputation as a must see on the death metal scene, an awesome start to things. The provenance is evident throughout this track, even throwing a guitar solo in to break the track up a little, resulting in an introduction to a band that’s going to secure a solid loyalty from anyone that hears this.
Moving on to Follow The Bastard Prophet the theme of all out pummelling power continues, this time offering up a bass heavy melee of guitars and bass, accompanied by rolling drums and that continued sense of darkness. Alternating the pace between relatively slow and straight forward through to fast and powerful, this is another track which demonstrates how accomplished a band this is, how powerful their sound is and how good old school death metal really is when it’s done well. Blind From Birth once again secures this idea, launching full tilt onwards with a roar accompanied by blasting drumlines and powerful guitar riffs. The mix here forms into the sort of thing which is going to fully realise its power on the live scene, the sort of thing which will get pits going, heads banging and people wanting to see the band live. This track was my personal favourite from the EP, the raw power thrusting the track onwards and presenting something which is impossible to resist, the sort of track which you know has to be played at an obscene volume to fully appreciate it.
Seven Serpents once again continues the all-out powerful approach, this time opening with a guitar line which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Fear Factory album, but accompanying with drums and vocals straight out of the death metal rule book. Fast, powerful, in your face and to the point throughout, this is the sort of track which is going to scare your neighbours, kill your cat and force you to thank the band for the pleasure- heavy and raw from start to finish, just as good death metal should be. It’s only then left to Statues Of Death to close the EP, finishing on a supremely heavy note and leaving a serious dent in your face as a result. It’s almost as if the band saved some of their heaviest stuff for last, finishing with a track which is the epitome of death metal, the sort of track which is going to produce pits where ever it’s played, leave venues as nothing but dust and convert the ranks to the world of Rex Shachath – a great finish to a solid EP. My personal favourite part has to be the slowed down drumming combined with fast paced guitar work – talk about a heavy sound!
I don’t know what to say about Rex Shachath other than wow, old school death metal is back and seems to be doing damned well! Throughout this EP there’s a sense of power, a sense of raw determination and a sense of a band that know what they’re doing – and as a result, they’ve produced an EP which does what it says on the tin! From start to finish, this EP is great, it’s heavy, it’s powerful, and it’s got a sense that this is the future of death metal, a return to the old style which made it so successful in the first place!
To find out more about Rex Shachath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As the Intro gets the record going, there’s a sense of darkness formed from the off, a simply guitar line fading into being accompanied by painful sounds, bass heavy rhythms and a feeling that what is to follow is going to be proper heavy – and it is! Launching into title track Sepulchral Torment, the beat assumes the old school death metal approach and we’re thrown into whirling pit of drumlins, hammering guitars and roaring vocals – it’s proper death metal done damned well. This old school approach sounds fresh and new in an industry where there’s all sorts of new approaches, the simply guitar lines doing their job and forming into a track which is going to devastate venues, get pits moving and gain the band a reputation as a must see on the death metal scene, an awesome start to things. The provenance is evident throughout this track, even throwing a guitar solo in to break the track up a little, resulting in an introduction to a band that’s going to secure a solid loyalty from anyone that hears this.
Moving on to Follow The Bastard Prophet the theme of all out pummelling power continues, this time offering up a bass heavy melee of guitars and bass, accompanied by rolling drums and that continued sense of darkness. Alternating the pace between relatively slow and straight forward through to fast and powerful, this is another track which demonstrates how accomplished a band this is, how powerful their sound is and how good old school death metal really is when it’s done well. Blind From Birth once again secures this idea, launching full tilt onwards with a roar accompanied by blasting drumlines and powerful guitar riffs. The mix here forms into the sort of thing which is going to fully realise its power on the live scene, the sort of thing which will get pits going, heads banging and people wanting to see the band live. This track was my personal favourite from the EP, the raw power thrusting the track onwards and presenting something which is impossible to resist, the sort of track which you know has to be played at an obscene volume to fully appreciate it.
Seven Serpents once again continues the all-out powerful approach, this time opening with a guitar line which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Fear Factory album, but accompanying with drums and vocals straight out of the death metal rule book. Fast, powerful, in your face and to the point throughout, this is the sort of track which is going to scare your neighbours, kill your cat and force you to thank the band for the pleasure- heavy and raw from start to finish, just as good death metal should be. It’s only then left to Statues Of Death to close the EP, finishing on a supremely heavy note and leaving a serious dent in your face as a result. It’s almost as if the band saved some of their heaviest stuff for last, finishing with a track which is the epitome of death metal, the sort of track which is going to produce pits where ever it’s played, leave venues as nothing but dust and convert the ranks to the world of Rex Shachath – a great finish to a solid EP. My personal favourite part has to be the slowed down drumming combined with fast paced guitar work – talk about a heavy sound!
I don’t know what to say about Rex Shachath other than wow, old school death metal is back and seems to be doing damned well! Throughout this EP there’s a sense of power, a sense of raw determination and a sense of a band that know what they’re doing – and as a result, they’ve produced an EP which does what it says on the tin! From start to finish, this EP is great, it’s heavy, it’s powerful, and it’s got a sense that this is the future of death metal, a return to the old style which made it so successful in the first place!
To find out more about Rex Shachath, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls