Something just crept up out of one of the bogs in balmy Alabama and it’s a hideous monster on the prowl to maim and sever anything in its path. That monster is Ectovoid, a new band more or less formed out of the ashes of Bloated Carcass. Cheesy hyperbole aside, the debut album from Ectovoid is an entertaining one, if hardly the most original slab of death metal the world has ever heard.

Sporting a raw production and guitar tone molded from the skeletons of Symphonies of Sickness-era Carcass, Onward to Golgotha-era Incantation, Fractured in the Timeless Abyss is a throwback to the days when death metal wasn’t all shiny and sterile sounding. This album is filled with classic production; rough edges, dirty sound, and an organic overall feel. To put it bluntly, Fractured in the Timeless Abyss sounds like it was created and released around 1992. For fans of that era of death metal, this one will certainly whet the pallet and satiate the appetites of those who crave their death metal done the old fashion way.

Song-wise, Ectovoid blend the slower crunch and speedy blast beat segments well; they never overdo any of it. The double bass is placed almost perfectly, the blast beats don’t overstay their welcome and Chris McDonald keeps a steady pace while he mixes in rolls and fills during his attack. Michael Stewart’s fretwork is classically trained in the finer points of old school American death metal, meaning his riffs are honest and not overly-technical; there isn’t a whole hell of a lot of finesse with his style, which fits the overall ambience of Fractured in the Timeless Abyss nicely.

Chuck Bryant’s vocals are of the lower-key variety, walking a fine line between vintage Bill Steer (not as low), early Chris Reifert, and Bryan Cegon (ex-Disincarnate [remember them?]). His monotone style doesn’t stray too far down the road of adventurousness but then again, a more varied vocal attack might not suit the music of Ectovoid that well.

Overall, Fractured in the Timeless Abyss is a fun listen and even though the music is the antithesis of originality, Ectovoid play the best genre of death metal as well as any of the neophyte bands of the New Wave Of Old School Death Metal, if not better. Definitely worth scooping up, this is.

[Visit the band's website]

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