Review: “Glints From The Crematorium” by Reekmind

“‘Cyst Megalith’ is our first proper foray into a faster tempo of muck and aural detritus. It results in our shortest non-instrumental song to date, a stark contrast when paired with the longest and darkest song thus far on this EP. ‘Cyst’ expresses the growing mound of mental trauma that manifests into a growth encompassing a being past the point of recognition. A bridge from ‘Mired In The Reek Of Grief’ to our next LP, this single showcases a forthcoming darker, more unforgiving sound that continues to manifest onwards” ~ Reekmind

Having won us over with last years “Mired in the Reek of Grief” album, Australian Death Doom collective Reekmind attempt to outdo themselves with EP “Glints From The Crematorium”. Recorded and mixed by Lewis Noke Edwards (Hävittäjät, Circle Of Blood, Gravitate) at Black Lodge Studios in August and October 2025 before being mastered by Dan Lowndes at (Cerebral Rot, Penny Coffin, Sepulchral Curse) at Resonance Sound Studio, it may only be three songs it equates to almost twenty five minutes of new music.

A calling from the abyss in the form of a haunting melody soaked in melancholia graces “Flesh Draped on a Pitiful Frame“, serving as sirens song of an enticing introduction before the throat scraping, dry and raspy vocals from Dane Ottesen which scratch an the brain stem with a rusty finger nail. His shriller tones intertwine to great effect with the deeper death growls of Daniel Butler of Vastum, Decrepisy and Acephalix fame as the tune plays out, the anguished, forlorn and bleak lyrical narrative drawing you into the perpetual darkness. As a thirteen minute magnum opus, this one surpasses anything the band have previously committed to tape without being too far adrift from anything they have done before. Each movement has an ocean of breathing space and each instrumental passage is wonderfully nuanced to keep you captivated, like you’ve been tied to a chair in front of a television set in some low budget horror movie. Despite being raw and cavernous the sound is gripping, feeling moments of groove adding to the sensation of slowly being crushed to death in the dark and brooding atmospheres.

Refusing to step out of the shadows “Cyst Megalith” swirls in ethereal darkness with distinctive tempo shifts so you get a glorious rise and fall from its intense burn. As with the earlier cut there are some decent moments of neck snapping groove that you just can’t help but get caught up in. Reekmind have grown darker, colder and more malevolent in their ways and this feels like a demonstration of raw power. The riffs are massive and the vocals bruising, the sense of emotional collapse palpable as the darkness rises, soaked in merciless dread.

There is a shift in the quality of bonus cut “Rehearsal in a Body of Death” as if it hasn’t had the same mixing and mastering treatment as the other two tunes but it remains just as oppressive with the bands signature blend of Death Doom flowing through its veins. The drum sound dominates with more complex fills as the raw and abrasive guitars take a half step back but that doesn’t change that inescapable feeling that something wicked this way comes [7/10]

Track Listing

1. Flesh Draped on a Pitiful Frame (ft. Daniel Butler of Vastum, Decrepisy, Acephalix)
2. Cyst Megalith
3. Rehearsal in a Body of Death

“Glints From The Crematorium” by Reekmind is out 24th July 2026 via Night Terrors Records