I usually know exactly what I am getting with any Comatose albums sent to me for review. But whoa, I wasn’t expecting the sheer nastiness and brutality that Ritual Theophagy, the second album from Italy’s Blasphemer dropped on me. 

Despite being familiar with plenty of other brutal Italian death metal like Logic of Denial, Hour of Penance, Septycal Gorge, Antropofagus, Putridity, Bloodtruth and Vomit the Soul and the labels other offerings, I have not had this direct, succinct and brutal sonic punch in the dick in quite some time.

At 28 minutes, there’s a Deicide self title debut -ish brevity and brutality on Ritual Theophagy. The 11 songs are short sharp, 2-3 minute salvos of pure brutal death metal savagery that deliver than same quality and intensity as many of their peers mentioned above, but what seemed a more concentrated, Satanic form.  Other than the short samples that start some of the tracks and the moody closing title track, there is simply no let up from start to finish.

From opener “Suicide to Satan” to “I Deny” through  the likes of “Annihilated Divinity” and “Crucifix of Shit (Stench of Prophet)” Blasphemer’s , …well…. blasphemous take on brutal death metal is simply relentless. The Deicide on steroids tone is cemented by demonic dual vocals and the Americanized  drums of Darren Cesca who you may know from the likes of Deeds of Flesh, Vile, Pillory and Incinerate.

I’d like to say more, but any more words are just fleshing things out for the sake of it. Just take my word for it, this is one of 2016s more brutal, face ripping and unrelenting releases and I recommend it to anyone looking for a complete and total devastation.

[Visit the band's website]

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