Petrification - Hollow of the Void

PETRIFICATION -Hollow of the Void (DAWNBREED / SENTIENT RUIN - LP 2018)

What's new in the US death metal scene, you ask? Plenty!!! There are some new, great bands waiting and worth to be checked and many new, fantastic recordings... And here's one new name, which you should remember. Let me present you Petrification from Portland. This band was started in 2014 and debuted with "Summon Horrendous Destruction" demo. Year 2018 brought us their first full length album "Hollow of the Void". I'm happy to have the vinyl version, released by Sentient Ruin Laboratories and Dawnbreed Records. The presentation of the vinyl is top notch - killer artwork by Jason Barnett, very nice layout, huge poster and swampy green coloured vinyl, which fits the colours of the artwork perfectly.  

All that together fits the music as well. Obscure old school death metal, which creates the creepy, horror atmosphere is what you'll find here. Influences come from Autopsy, Master, Grave, Cianide, Obituary, even Repulsion and other bands, which bring brutal, but nasty and horrifying vibes. This isn't death metal with fancy techniques, firework arrangements or anything else what modern death metal bands try to impress their listeners. This is more like caveman death metal, neanderthal stuff, where riffs are simple, drumming basic, but good and with vocals which sound like harsh grunt. But there's beauty in this simplicity. There's heaviness, groove, faster or mid paced punching parts, but also crushing slow stuff, which effectively destroys skulls. Occasionally there's a small trace of melody as well. This way "Hollow of the Void" is just as interesting throughout as it should. I especially like all these fragments, where Petrification brings that filthy and vicious Autopsy feel. Some excellent songs are here like "Summon Horrendous Destruction" - one of those songs, which bring the best ideas, with killer doomy parts, melodic pattern, but also viciousness and aggression. It's fantastic tune! Also “Stagnation of Transmigration" is a real highlight here. I can listen to such songs over and over again and they never sound boring. Top notch underground death metal filth. 

And frankly, the whole album is pretty fuckin solid and enjoyable. Sure, it has few less impressive moments, to be honest, so it's not my favourite death metal record of the year. But it surely is one of those albums, which I will be coming back to frequently and listen to it with pleasure. I can only wish that they made some corrections in the sound, to get more powerful, yet vicious and eerie result and then it would be very, very good. But definitely this is another great US death metal band, which I can recommend with a great pleasure. 

Standout tracks: "Summon Horrendous Destruction", "Stagnation of Transmigration" 

Verdict: 75/100