Trenchrot    

Dragged Down To Hell

Nihilistic Holocaust 2013

Philadelphia's old school death machine unleashes their debut demo and I must say, this is probably the best thing that Nihilist Holocaust has sent my way.  The three songs found on here are a brutal hybrid of early Autopsy and Stockholm style Swedish death.  Of course that is an oversimplified version of what is going on here.  For instance on the demo's opener, Gallery Of The Dead charges forth with a set of riffs that bring to mind Unleashed's debut album while dessicated vocals scream from beyond the grave.  The track drops into a chugging segment before speeding headlong into crushing riffs.  I hear hints of Unorthodox era Edge Of Sanity churning in the fabric song before the guitars hack away and then flex around atmospheric leads.  Amped up doomy guitars sway to and fro while angular melodic accents create an Rack era Asphyx comparison on Trapped Under Treads.  The doom passages drift into an amalgam of Asphyx and Autopsy as the song continues.  And a huge parallel to Asphyx's Last One On Earth period occurs when the guitars hit a section of monolithic chugging riffs at the 3:00 minute mark.  This is some of the most crushing death metal I have heard in a long time.  UGH.  The final track, Dragged Down To Hell is a bit of a scorcher compared to the previous songs as it battles along at a rapid pace while riffs arc like bolts of lightning across the sky.  A darkly melodic lead ushers in a set of riffs that are rotted and putrid.  Trenchrot's first demo is a sight to behold as it lays on thick layers of the best aspects old school death metal while still remaining fresh, despite the unholy stench of death that surrounds each and every riff on this demo.  I can't wait to hear what these guys do with a full album.