I think most death heads will agree that there are a few immensely satisfying experiences when it comes to death metal; 1) a random new find that kicks ass and 2) that moment when death metal is done perfectly, achieving the immaculate balance of speed, power and brutality. Well, on their second album Italy’s new to me acts, Inverted has scored both.

Picked up as one of the free CDs on a recent Blast Head Records purchase, I had quickly perused a youtube sample to see if the album was worth using one of my free slots on. I didn’t hate it, so in the order it went. But the online sample didn’t come even close to doing the album justice.

Though from Italy, Inverted have a distinctly Polish sound. Remember Behemoth circa 2002 to 2009? That deep, commanding form of militant and regal, authoritative death metal that made your neck snap and your knees buckle? That’s the sound Inverted has channeled on The Age of Harvest. Big burly riffs, deep, powerful bellows and a pummeling rhythm section. It’s the kind of death metal that the likes of Annihilated, Lago, Apophys, Discreation, Skinless, and Abysmal Dawn perfected late last year and early this year, and hits that death metal sweet spot oh so well.

As I said in reviews of some of the bands above, The Age of Harvest is not going to change death metal, but it is going to put a grin on the face of almost all die hard death metal neanderthals. No progression, no experimentation, no interludes or rangy introspective moments, just menacing,  commanding death metal. All eight songs hit that 3-6 minute mark on the nose,  and they all get right to it. From throttling opener”Abiura”, through the  bruising “Tungaska”  and controlled rumble of “Caves’ to the more involved album longest cut  “Clear Sky”, the album does everything right.

If you are like me and thought Behemoth’s The Satanist was a bit of a let down, Inverted and The Age of Harvest is here to take you back to Behemoth’s glory days and deliver a powerful, imposing death metal record not dissimilar to Necrosy’s recent opus that should see Inverted rub shoulders with Italy’s death metal elite like Hour of Penance, Bloodtruth, Logic of Denial, Septycal Gorge and such, but bring a little Polish influence with them.

[Visit the band's website]

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