NIHÏLANTH – Graceless Planet
- Posted on 09-07-2021
Pulverizing, tightly executed, and technically impressive death metal with an emphasis on groove, grit, and catchiness is what we have here and I must say that I am quite thrilled with this skilled French outfit’s debut full-length assault.
The group’s eight aggressive compositions are cleverly written and contain countless interesting twists and cool surprises, but they never lose their ability to keep the listener focused and engaged. The sound of the record is dark and pretty damn brutal, which is just the way yours truly likes it, and it simply suits the nature and essence of the morbid ensemble’s vicious song material perfectly. While the epic and pummeling "Endless Red Stream" is one of the very highlights to be discovered here, all the tracks are muscular and worthy of note. The mellow instrumental "The Cairn", which pops up halfway through the album, adds a touch of melancholy and something slightly eerie to the proceedings too – a superb little gem.
The lyrics are good too and speak of horrors within and without, the artwork possesses a strangely beautiful aura, and "Graceless Planet" is a great slab of memorable death metal that is as diverse and dynamic as it is atmospheric and intense. Fans of old-school death and perhaps in particular such acts as Bolt Thrower and Benediction ought to check this wicked opus out.