Hailing from the musical hotbed that is Portland, Oregon, death metal ensemble Sempiternal Dusk and their new album, Cenotaph of Defectuous Creation, sound like a relic unearthed from a dark, ancient tomb. Intentionally ignorant of trends in the modern death metal scene, Sempiternal Dusk draw their inspiration from the likes of Incantation, Drawn and Quartered and, to a lesser extent, funeral doom staples like Evoken, playing cavernous, doom-influenced death metal.
The album is built around two lumbering epics—”Excavated Filth from Dimensional Incarnations” and “Spears of Pestilence”—that serve as testaments to Sempiternal Dusk’s ability to write engaging songs even as they cross the ten-minute threshold. This is due in part to Sempiternal Dusk’s use of melody, flashy musicianship and sparse synthesizers. “Spears of Pestilence” is the perfect way to end Cenotaph. It is not only the record’s most unique song; it’s the record’s most epic song.
Cenotaph of Defectuous Creation is a familiar but exciting album. Everything that makes a quality death metal album—reverberating vocals, descending riffs and just enough melody—is here. You can purchase the album on Friday through Dark Descent, and you can hear it now.
