Evulsion – Spiritual Putrefaction

Written by on 14-07-2024 at 23:35.

Evulsion is an international death metal band, founded in 2019. Initiators were Latvian Patrick Gapeev, who takes on vocals and guitars, and Russian guitarist Elena Verrier. Avid YouTube followers may know her from her YouTube channel, on which she covers well-known metal songs from, among others, Carcass, Cryptopsy, Death, Sepultura, Slayer and Suffocation on guitar. The band is completed by bass player Alex Potapov, from Lithuania, and American drummer Chris Dovas. That last name may ring a bell; he also handles the drumsticks in Firewing and Testament and he’s a touring member of Vital Remains.

Spiritual Putrefaction is the debut album of the foursome. An interesting detail might be that four band members have never met in real life. Where would we be today without the (im)possibilities of the internet? In 2020, Evulsion released Dormancy Industry as a single. Second single Decimation followed in April of this year, serving as a precursor to the album and presenting itself as album opener.

When listening to the album, it is immediately noticeable that Evulsion‘s sound seems inspired by the death metal scene of the nineties. The dark, aggressive atmosphere it exudes and its brutal character in particular seem to have been taken straight from that period. Think of bands such as Autopsy, Benediction, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse, Death, Dismember, Malevolent Creation, Napalm Death and Obituary. The album is, however, more than just a longing for times gone by. The fast and melodic character (for example Spiritual Putrefaction, Downpour Of Insight), the technical guitar work and the dynamic arrangements give the album a contemporary feel.

Compositions like Decimation, the title track, Mangled Reality, Under Tons of Marble and Refined Torture contain intriguing riffs, sharp soloing, and fast, energetic and varied drum patterns. Unusual time signatures and atypical rhythms provide a technical edge. A deep growl complements the whole. Perhaps the vocals could have contained a little more variation but on the other hand they add the ideal amount of color to the dark atmosphere on the album. The lyrics fit perfectly with the dark nature of the album. They reflect the scale of destruction, cruelty, and instability in the world today. The gorgeous artwork for the cover and album, as well as Evulsion‘s logo, comes from artist, graphic designer, and illustrator Julia Stieglitz from St. Petersburg (Russia).

Strongly anchored in the nineties, but with a charm and character traits that are completely contemporary. That’s how I like my death metal. Readers who are of the same mind or have anything to do with one of the above mentioned bands should at least give Spiritual Putrefaction by Evulsion a listen. This is something that not only the band deserves, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not.

Score:

84/100

Label:

Eigen beheer, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Decimation
  2. Spiritual Putrefaction
  3. Grazed by Death
  4. Downpour of Insight
  5. Soil’s Cold Truth
  6. Excuse to Kill
  7. Mangled Reality
  8. Under Tons of Marble
  9. Refined Torture

Line-up:

  • Patrick Gapeev – Guitars, vocals
  • Elena Verrier – Guitars
  • Alex Potapov – Bass guitars
  • Chris Dovas – Drums

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