Review: “Enthroned in Torment” by Bound To Prevail

They may only have the half an hour of power that is 2017’s “Omen of Iniquity” to show for it but Maltese Death Metal out fit Bound To Prevail have been crushing skulls and snapping necks since 2014. After recording a two track demo, their debut live performance took plade at the Malta Xtreme Metal Assault Festival in the summer of 2016 and was quickly followed by a wealth of supporting slots for renowned international acts such as Vader, Entombed A.D., and Mayhem. Since then drummer Mark Farrugia Sant’Angelo (ex-Masada), bassist Kevin Mifsud, vocalist Alan Briffa and guitarist duo Keith Fenech (ex-Achiral) and Jean Vella (Niket, ex-Haine) have gone from strength to strength, performing at Obscene Extreme, MetalDays, and Deathfeast Open Air festivals in 2022. Recorded, mixed and mastered by David Depasquale at SpineSplitter Studio and distributed by Lethal Scissor Records, the eight year only wait for their highly anticipated debut album is “Enthroned in Torment” is finally over…

If you ever doubted that death was simply the beginning then Briffa’s demonic vocals during the potent anthemic opening cut that is “The Nevergod” is waiting in the shadows of intent. A vicious little ditty that flirts with a few technical elements and groove laden orientation with pummeling percussion, it has everything you could possibly want in a warning shot and then some. Fierce and at times frantic, the aggressive rhythmic passages win you over within seconds of the onslaught. Increase the energy, intensity and tempo “Into the Depths” flies out of the gate like a vampire with a bloodlust, the technical guitar work once again helping the whole thing shine like a the blade of a Samurai warrior in the pale moon light. Minus the symphonic elements there are a few distant echoes to the early albums from Winds Of Plague that come from Briffa’s unclean vocal prowess and the bands choice of guitar tone. Its clear by the time “Defier of Empires” rears its ugly head that there has been no compromise when it comes to this album as the five piece have offered up something very much worth the wait and its weight in gold. A powerhouse piled river of a tune which confirms the band as Technical Death Metal masters, this one has a bit of The Black Dahlia Murder about it, destroying the ear drums and triggering a brain hemorrhage in the process. Drummer Mark Farrugia Sant’Angelo gets a full body work out with arguably his finest performance of the album behind the kit, the artillery shelling kick drums and machine gun fire blast beats making it sound like you’re in a war zone with only a pillow for comfort. Shorter, faster and more abrasive “Consecrated Perdition” tears through the village like a viking horde, setting fire to the thatched rooves as the population gets slaughtered. A tasteful solo works incredibly well by not being as searingly virtuoso as it could have been, thus maintaining the flow of the track as a whole nicely. Throw in some bloodcurdling demonic possession like roars and some neck snapping groove and you have a stone cold killer of a tune on your bloodstained hands.

Orchestrations chemically enhance “Atone in Blasphemy” and once again Mark Farrugia Sant’Angelo proves that in any given situation he can come out all guns blazing and blast his way out, giving the likes of Kevin Talley a run for his money. This one has a glorious rise and fall to it while being as ferocious as hell, Briffa being an apex predator of a Death Metal vocalist. There is a bit of The Faceless or Inferi about a good number of these tracks and “Dawn of Emptiness” is no different; the delicious licks in the guitar work an absolute pleasure in the face of the nonstop violence of the percussive onslaught. This one does have a virtuoso solo at its beating black heart and its a monster but nothing will prepare you for the sample into final verse which has to be heard to be believed. Bludgeoning the discerning listener to death with pounding rhythmic battery, Bound To Prevail prove they can also do dark and brooding atmospherics at breakneck speed with the earth shattering “Tomb of the Graveless“. Staccato riff breaks and bends add spice that’s nice before the final confession that is  “Enthroned in Torment” begins. Once again at the heavier end of Death Groove, this blood thirsty final anthem is the very definition of what an album of the current crop should be all about, taking the foundations of the forefathers of the genre and building upon them monuments of misanthropy [8/10]

Track Listing

1. The Nevergod
2. Into the Depths
3. Defier of Empires
4. Consecrated Perdition
5. Atone in Blasphemy
6. Dawn of Emptiness
7. Tomb of the Graveless
8. Enthroned in Torment

“Enthroned in Torment” by Bound To Prevail is out 7th December 2025 via Lethal Scissor Records