7th February 2026

Review: “Portrait Ov God” by Crown Of Nails (1st Anniversary)

Recorded Mixed and Mastered by Javier Mora (Organectomy, Deathless, Vileblood) at Mantrah Records, the debut EP “Portrait Ov God” by Crown Of Nails landed on 30th January 2025. It appeared after a couple of standalone singles dropped in 2023’s “Humanity Will Crawl” and “Weeping Moon“, the song titles hinting at a sound of the Blackened persuasion from the Mexican Deathcore brutes. Back in 2019 Unique Leader Records released an album titled “Vital Deprivation” by Signs Of The Swarm that has a track with a title that matches the bands name. Could the two be connected or is it simply a coincidence?

A distinctive infusion of Slam, Death Metal and Deathcore sounds “Path Of Exile” is as face melting an opening track as anyone could have asked for with vocalist George Morto demonstrating why he is a member of both Pancho Killer and Seen My Funeral as well as Crown Of Nails. The band have even gone as far as layering up his vocal parts so you get death growls with shriller tones underneath them as the backing vocal and he sounds equally as vicious with both. There is a technicality to the guitar work that is seriously impressive and while a debut release may usually sound a bit rough and ready there is none of that here. Everything is poised, precise and powerful to ensure the track gives maximum impact in blood and thunder fashion. Even the false ending is perfectly executed before the title track “Portrait Ov God” which features Enemy 906 arrives with a haunting melody from the shadow of intent. It raises the hairs on the back of the neck, the anticipation that something wicked this way comes coming to fruition with dark, sinister and malevolent chugging and harsh shrill vocals creating a white heat and leaving fret boards smouldering in the process. Restless and relentless with endless gravity blasting and slick blackened riffs, this one feels like blasphemy without a glance at the lyric sheet. The title “Vaginal Dicktator” maybe a headline grabber or click bait but the track itself is not the kind of sleaze laden affair you might think, instead hitting like a shotgun blast to the face with jackhammer footwork and Blackened Death Metal inspired riffs before switching into something with a little more nauseating churn and burn. The spiralling leads are glorious, the sample opening things up for a huge Deathcore breakdown and Slam inspired vocals with a clanky loose bass string finale of savage intent. All in all a collection of vicious little ditties that will trigger a fight or flight response [8/10]

Track Listing