Review: “Black Marrow” by Slaughtersun
You’d have to have been living under a rock for the past couple of years not to won’t know about New Jersey Death Metal four piece Slaughtersun, such has been the fervour around their first four singles. Uniting members of Thank You Scientist, Windfaerer, Tombstoner and Cranial Damage the band had been the brainchild of Ben Karas for decades before it finally got pieced together, December 2023 finally seeing critically acclaimed first single “Fall of the Firmament” leave the chamber. A waterfall of cuts followed, each track produced, engineered, and mixed it at Frost Gauntlet Recording by Karas himself in DIY or DIE style. Those tracks have since been painstakingly remixed by Karas and remastered by Ryan Kelly (Winds Of Plague) in their entirety to give us a debut EP titled “Black Marrow” with cover art from acclaimed Indonesian artist Curse Of Face…
A chilling introduction, “Unearthly Propaganda” oozes John Carpenter movie vibes with its sinister tone that cleanses the mind of all thought and captures the imagination before the aforementioned “Fall of the Firmament” slaps like something from A Life Once Lost. Death Metal groove with deadly intent, it pummels the listener into submission with hard hitting rhythmic battery while vocalist Justin Hillman produces a performance reminiscent of one from Randy Blythe in the Burn The Priest days. A spoken word moment pushes the boundaries before a return to the snarling, a solo from Karas electrifying the sense of urgent tension that the quartet create. Pouring fuel on the fire, in increased intensity and speed of “Relentless Thelemic” gives it a restless and indeed relentless vibe, a punishment beating that borders on Blackened Thrash in its approach. Staccato riff breaks in the final third are followed by more technical riffage as the train threatens to derail into chaos but fortunately they manage to stick to task despite the breakneck speed.
There is an unhinged quality to the guitar work of “Ready Cell Awaits” that may put your teeth on edge on the first couple of spins but once you’ve got used to the nails on a chalkboard sound of the opening gambit there is plenty more to endure. A slower, grinding mid section of mid tempo sonic abrasions steadily get faster with Jason Quinones blasting his way out from behind the kit. Sinister and urgent what follows is a bloodbath of disturbing riffs and harsh whispers soaked in low budget horror film atmospherics and scripture. Title track “Black Marrow” has a cleaner guitar tone to it while the band maintain the perpetual forward motion at blistering pace with a whirlwind of rumbling bass and pulsating percussion. The vocal performance from Hillman matches the lyrical narrative and is both bleak and haunting, Karas landing the solo in sublime fashion. Recorded live in the final session before closure of the iconic Frightbox Recording in Passaic New Jersey, the live rendition of “Relentless Thelemic” that closes this chapter of the book of Slaughtersun may not be a vital addition. What it does however is confirm that the band have captured their raw energy when it comes to the album performances… [8/10]
Track Listing
- Unearthly Propaganda
- Fall of the Firmament
- Relentless Thelemic
- Ready Cell Awaits
- Black Marrow
- Relentless Thelemic (Frightbox Live Session)
“Black Marrow” by Slaughtersun is out 10th January 2025