Review: “The Obsidian Fog” EP by Putrascension

Following their October 2019 creature double feature “Hate Lust“, New Jersey’s Putrascension should need no introduction. Why? Because they have already earned our full attention with two pieces of Black Metal that belong as much in the bleak and cold black forests of Norway as they do anywhere else. Vocalist Michael Gonçalves also contributed the cover art to their follow up EP “The Obsidian Fog“, released just 10 weeks after their last and is joined by guitarist duo Dan Higgins and Joe Fonseca with bass from Joe Kreiss and drums from Justin Spaeth.

“The Obsidian Fog” begins with the blast beats of “Erasure” and some haunting Black Metal riffs as Gonçalves roars demonically “Erasure of the self, Unscrupulous beasts, Entering the dawn of illusions, Erasure of thought, Surrender and serve” and the music sweeps through passages of grand dark melody. Perhaps the tale of a bleak future, it is an instantly headbangably addictive cut. Time to get the corpse paint out. “Banished” is an equally dark tale with a fitting musical accompaniment that sees Spaeth getting a full work out with double kicks and blast beats that you’d expect but also intricate patterns and fills that showcase dedication to the genre. Higgins and Fonseca have mastered the art of the Black Metal guitar sound and use a tone that is clean enough that every riff shines as they sweep through the track like a hunted deer racing through the black forest. The mid song slow down for what you might describe as a breakdown section – essentially short riff patterns with a silence before looping back – allows for the song to build back up to it’s full gallop onslaught and is a piece of quality that shines in black light. “The Age Of Rust” references the EP title as “A phantom of obsidian embraces the Earth, Corrosive ashes haunting lungs” and Gonçalves strains every sinew to get the pitching of his vocals to the place he wants them as he depicts a bleak, barren, apocalyptic future. There are a few Progressive Metal influences in this longer cut that creep into the fold of the guitar work and the epic grandeur is a fitting final note for the end of days [7.5/10]

Track listing

1. Erasure
2. Banished
3. The Age Of Rust

“The Obsidian Fog” by Putrascension is out now and available over at bandcamp