Yesterday I had my ears shredded. It didn’t really hurt, on the contrary, it felt rather good. The bass drum slap fighting with my eardrums, the blistering guitar work, courtesy of seasoned Death Metal veteran Rogga Johansson (Ribspreader, GhoulHouse, Paganizer) and the crushing vocals of Jens Johansson had my head banging in no time flat. To Descend have released three recordings since 2018 People of the Abyss, Exorcism of Hope, and this current EP Mindless Birth: five tracks of blistering OSDM.

This motherfucker is short and to the point, To Descend take no prisoners with Mindless Birth. Opener “Parasitic Vision” starts slow and plodding before spreading its wings for a minute of blistering Death Thrash, “Voices in the Fire” blazes along with sadistic intent while the title track just pummels the shit out of you. There are no blast beats to speak of, which is fine because Mindless Birth is raw as fuck Swedish Death Metal played by masters of the genre. “Chained to Time” and “Demented Lake” round out this short as fuck EP (twelve minutes and twenty-five seconds, if you’re keeping track) and I should also mention that To Descend do more with those twelve minutes than some bands struggle within full-length form.

The ‘for fans of’ section on this release isn’t difficult this time around. I’d be no sort of reviewer if I didn’t hear Sepultura, Death, Bolt Thrower, Benediction, Carnage and even Pungent Stench just to name a few. Fact is, To Descend should be on your radar, constant reader and fellow Headbanger.

Mindless Birth is a five-song body-blow beatdown, that makes me want to go check out their previous releases Exorcism of Hope and People of the Abyss. Here’s hoping that a full-length is or will be in the works, but in the meantime, I suggest To Descend as a solid addition to your collection.

 

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