Member of Immortal Damnation, the 1992 debut from Finnish death metal band Purtenance is one of the best albums of the 90’s.  After disbanding, after the album was released, the band came back in 2012 to release the excellent Sacrifice the King ep.

They followed that up the following year with the    Awaken from Slumber album.  That was a very heavy, but a little uneven effort, with some abrupt song endings and some loose musicianship.  I interviewed some of the members around that time, because I wanted to welcome them back into the scene, since they had been gone for so long.  …to Spread the Flame of Ancients was and still is a killer third album, from them, and Paradox of Existence in 2017 was a nice 4 song ep and super heavy, but as always, retaining their doom and gloom heaviness to go alongside the Bolt Thrower type of rumbling heaviness which has always been an influence, in many Finnish death metal bands.

Now returning with their 4^th full length album, Buried Incarnation, Purtenance recorded 9 songs in about 39 minutes.  Songs are a little more streamlined than their 2015 3^rd album, which I am still a huge fan of – …to Spread the Flame of Ancients.  “Into the Arctic Gloom” is a 2 minute doomy sort of intro, with some signing towards the end of this mostly instrumental.  “Shrouded Vision of Afterlife” starts immediate as a plodding death/doom number and stays mostly in neutral for the song’s entirety.  The guitar riffing is great and the guitar sound excellent.  Super heavy and doomy.  Some of the song reminds me of songs on Asphyx’s self-titled album.  Very heavy and depressing.

“Under the Pyre of Enlightenment” has some excellent guitar melodies and extraordinary growls.  The song gradually picks up some speed and gets pretty damn fast and then the song gets back into the doomy moments and then into some Bolt Thrower type of rumbling heaviness.

“Deathbed Confession” is the longest track, at close to 6 minutes, starts with some excellent heavy and emotive guitar melodies. The rumbling heaviness returns and great old school death metal vocals.  Aabeg Gautam is the new vocalist, as well as bassist.  He also does the same for Dying out Flame – who put out the great  Shiva Rudrastakam 6 years ago – hey we need that follow-up now!  “Burial Secrecy” ends the album with a nice guitar melody over the doomy and heavy riffing.  Again, getting into the cavernous territory as the heaviness is quite dense and some really nice bass guitar work.

Buried Incarnation is a damn fine death metal album.  There is a little bit of a return to some of the loose style of musicianship – more in the drum category.  At times, a bit off, not as tight as the drums needs to be.  Second the production is a little rough around the edges, especially the drums.  The drums on the past album, were more hard hitting with the snare and double bass.  The double bass, on this, are more of a pitter patter, as opposed to a sound you feel in the chest – how double bass drums should reverberate.

Regardless of those issues, I really enjoy this album, because it’s Purtenance and maybe a little doomier as well.  I notice them putting the breaks on some of the blast parts and going for a really doom/death type of album – overall it works quite well.  Purtenance waves that flag of early 90’s death metal loud and proud.  This is awesome.  Check the band out and please like their FB page and pick up their releases.

[Visit the band's website]

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