Pentacle / Mortem - Liquefied Blood of the Saints / Five Candles Burning Red

 

PENTACLE / MORTEM - Liquefied Blood of the Saints / Five Candles Burning Red (IRON PEGASUS - 7"EP 2013)

2013 is a year of Pentacle’s comeback and so after eight of silence we got two releases with Pentacle logo on it. They’re both split 7”EPs, so they’re short and offer just one or two new songs from the Dutch legend, but certainly it feels good to see (and hear) them back! And so… first I had a pleasure to enjoy the double seven inch split with Eternal Solstice, which had two killer songs from Pentacle and now the time came for a new offering: a small piece of vinyl, which Pentacle shares with another death metal legend: Mortem! I cannot think of better partner in crime than them, really… two underground death metal heroes and two quite underestimated bands, I think, because tell me: how many maniacs know and remember about these bands? And more so, they are also two bands, which come back after a longer break, as Mortem’s last album “De Natura Daemonum” has been released back in 2005, so the same year, when “Under the Black Cross” has been unleashed. Iron Pegasus Records is responsible for putting out this split EP and well, I think it is enough for the introduction. Names like Pentacle, Mortem and Iron Pegasus just don’t require a longer introduction; you either know them or know shit about underground metal.

Now let’s take a listen to both sides of the EP. First comes Pentacle with “Five Candles Burning Red”. Their archaic take on death metal, with a lot of influence from the very early extreme metal bands is so awesome that I cannot write this review while listening to their music, as it would make the headbanging impossible! Hehe! But seriously, Pentacle is not kind of band, which would disappoint. If you like your metal rough, archaic and with that ancient feeling (as Pentacle describes it), then this band is a must have for you. I definitely enjoyed “Five Candles Burning Red” a lot. Sure, I can admit that quality wise I prefer some older Pentacle recordings like “Ancient Death” and “Ride the Moonstorm”, “Under the Black Cross” was also better… but this song is just as good and solid as I would expect it to be from band like Pentacle and maybe it is due that very harsh production why “Five Candles…” couldn’t match the old Pentacle recordings. And then we have Mortem on side B and I must say that their “Liquified Blood of the Saints” is a song, which I would give 10/10. It is a perfect death metal tune, great old school feeling, truly killer riffs, some of which have maybe more of aggressive thrash metal sound, but overall this song sounds like taken from some of the best European death metal albums from early 90’s. I am very excited how perfectly Mortem did execute everything here, plus the production is also truly good, so I like this song totally. You must listen to “Liquified Blood of the Saints” and worship this Peruvian cult once and for all. Can’t wait then to hear new full length LPs from both bands, which I hope will be recorded in 2014.

Final rate: 90/100