Boy I got to start off this with review by giving a shout out to Tito Vespasiani owner of Everlasting Spew Records.  2018 has already been off to a solid start for his label with releases from Convocation, Galvanizer, and Quantum Hierarchy.  With releases like Valgrind and Construct of Lethe coming later this year Everlasting Spew has become one of the strongest international underground death/doom record labels.   Assumption fit in quite nicely with the diverse lineup of talent on Everlasting Spew.   Hailing from Palerno Sicily in Italy these guys play a hypnotic, trance like style of death doom that is quite well done and arranged.  The album itself consists of only three tunes with the shortest a little over six minutes and the longest over fifteen minutes.

Assumption was formed by David and Giorgio of the Italian Death Grind band Haemophagus. Assumption is absolutely nothing like Haemophagus. It has been sometime since Assumption’s debut, “The Three Appearances” EP which create quite a buzz back in 2014.  After the first listen of these guys I was quite blown away that a band with such heavy death metal roots could create such a thought provoking death doom record. Absconditus opens up with “Liberation” which builds ever so nicely with some simplistic clean chord structure with just a tinge of flange to create a bit of an unsettling feeling.  I can definitely hear the influence of groups like Esoteric and Thergothon.

“Resurgence” opens with a gorgeous flute instrumental that builds slowly and creates enough atmospheric tension that the build into the actual heavy portion of the song is extremely well done and quite well played.  The creative vision shown throughout Absonditus is quite impressive for a band’s first full length death doom record.  “Beholder of Asteroid Oceans” finishes up the album strongly and consistently along the same elements as much of the heavier parts of Absconditus.

Two big thumbs up for this.  I would say that I don’t find them a suffocating as a band like Disembowelment.  To me they are a cleaner sounding band but they definitely have aboriginal sounding elements to their music. They just don’t sound like they are drowned in reverb recorded in the bottom of a wishing well.  There are trance, drone like elements on this that could be considered comparable to a band like Oranssu Pazuzu but not necessarily in style so much as in arrangement.  For as long as two of three tracks are on this release I cannot say that at any point I found myself bored or losing interest. All three tracks on this are on point and extremely well played.  If you are looking for a unique atmospheric death doom record this is worth checking out.  As are most of the releases on Everlasting Spew Records. Give this one a spin!

[Visit the band's website]

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