13th December 2023

Review: “Eternal Darkness” by Soul Incursion

Recorded by Tomi Uusitupa (Sepulchral Curse, Last To Exist, Array) at Oxroad Studios and Oskar Bruun at Vallila ’87 Studios, mixed by Tomi Uusitupa at Oxroad Studios and mastered by Matias Nastolin (Kiss Disease, Decaying, Grinding Fear) at Louhinta Studio, the debut EP “Eternal Darkness” by Soul Incursion is a record we’ve been waiting since November 2021 for. Formed in Helsinki Finland in 2020 by guitarist duo Oskar Bruun and Henri Hirvonen who later recruited bassist and vocalist Aleksi Mattila and drummer Arttu Turunen, the band unleashed a pair of singles that whet the appetite back then…

While it pays to expect the unexpected, on the evidence of 2021’s “Infernal End / Intracranial Form” the anticipation of a more refined vicious and brutal Death Metal record from Soul Incursion was probably fair and in all honesty that is exactly what the four piece have created. It might be an overly used term these days but taking their inspirations from Pestilence, Death and Demolition Hammer the band have churned out five old school cuts that defy those expectations, front loaded with catchy riffage and pummelling percussion. Blood begins to spill with the title track, an opening cut that is perfectly paced to raise the hairs on the back of the neck with it’s Death Thrash infusion and moments that hark back to “Morbid Visions” era Sepultura. Hirvonen and Bruun combine well for a melodic lead part in the final third, the cutting edge ensuring the discerning listener doesn’t mistake softness for weakness. Continuing that flirtation with intertwining leads “Screams Through Chasms” roars like a beast from the black depths, the air of familiarity around some of the riffs giving it an instant appeal. Headbangable to the last second, new drummer Turunen earns his keep with some fantastic fills and plenty of jackhammer footwork. Arguably “Dreams To Destroy” could be rebranded “Nightmares to Survive“, the mid record cut a vicious little ditty that finds vocalist Mattila at his most demonic. The throat splitting he offers is accompanied by a few tasteful technical leads to keep us on the edge of our seats, the band threatening to spill into a breakdown in the final moments but holding back to ensure a rampaging start to “Abysmal Flames“. Punchy with flavours of “Master Of Puppets” era Metallica despite its sharper edges, this Death Thrash ensemble has an earworm riff that you’ll struggle to get out of your head, all delivered at the tempo of the damned. The four piece have no time to waste so you can forget your power ballads and mid tempo crushers because “Perpetual Wasteland” is the brain damage inducing finale caused by a slap in the face by a concrete slab. Menacing and sinister to the last, this six minute magnum opus burns like wire with the crushing perpetual forward motion of a tank moving through rubble in a war zone. Soul Incursion have what you need. [8/10]