21st February 2026

Review: “Dark Maze” by Bonesawer

They say never judge a book by its cover but with the sophomore EP “Dark Maze” by Bonesawer once again depicting some kind of Aztec alien being, it looks safe to say the Symphonic Deathcore trio are either musing on themes of time and space or ancient evil. Mixed and mastered by Floor van Kuijk (A Pretext to Human Suffering, Death Benefits, Mourning Veil) at GLDCHN Studios, curiously enough, the three track affair is marked as a demo in some quarters but not in others. What we can say with conviction however is that as with their aforementioned first EP “Ravenous To Kill” the band cite influences in Deicide and Behemoth and look distinctively like serial killers in photographs…

…and you can rest assured that there is nothing “demo” about the quality of this record with the blood and thunder of title track “Dark Maze” sounding as brutal as they come. A tasty infusion of Death Metal rhythms that pack a punch cut against tremolo picked Black Metal style bridges with racing gravity blasting create a crushing, weighty atmospheric with oppressive overtones that leave you wondering what you’ve done to deserve such punishment. The barked vocals are a brutal addition that leave you wondering if the protagonist is trapped in a dark place in their mind or in a coma after a savage beating. A little Latino interlude wipes the slate clean before the second wave of the tsunami arrives in “No One Can Judge Me“, a cut laced with machine gun fire percussive patterns and classic Death Groove guitars. There is even a spoken word moment to add a touch more evil before the flamenco acoustic guitars of the final seconds add a little class, like salt in chocolate. Dispencing with the frills “Non-Existent” goes straight for the throat with a weighty mid tempo crush that subjects the discerning listener to a bludgeoning, the sheer power the three piece generate enough to register as seismic activity on the richter scale. There is also a mighty gear change as they shift tempo in the final third, the slick nature of the transition making it obvious just how good these musicians are. As a collection, this record is as much fun as you can have playing with electric current, leaving us wondering just how long they’ll keep us in suspense over a debut album… [7.5/10]

Track Listing