One area of the world that we never really see any new metal bands for one reason or another is the Middle East where the style is far from publicly accepted from being viewed as religious blasphemy to simply not being enjoyed. Death metal is a big leap for anybody from that region because of how difficult it could be to perform it, but that doesn’t stop acts like Faceless Mother from spawning who bring a taste of heavy that we can all relate to, and this debut EP is a rough start but it’s incredibly tasty to the core.

Mixing together different styles is something that’s been practiced for thousands of years in the world of music and it has become something that’s all but integral to the sound of bands nowadays where experimentation is key. Yet, sometimes it can be too much. Sometimes a band can be too ambitious by bringing too many styles into the same bowl, but every now and then it works out pretty well. In the case of Faceless Mother’s debut EP, “The Thing That Lurks”, it actually works pretty damned well. Bringing together different influences from different avenues of metal like doom, black, and predominately death metal, Faceless Mother took some leaps and bounds with the three tracks we’re granted with their debut, and while it’s shaky at its worst moments “The Thing That Lurks” still manages to rise up and fucking dominate with a sound that all but embodies the underground scene of metal across the entire world. “The Thing That Lurks” is a brilliant debut by all accounts and is a very solid start for this group because their raw, unrelenting sound actually works as Faceless Mother utilizes everthing in their power to make it fucking work, and it does!

There’s an innumerable amount of new metal bands released in the last year alone, and many of them will likely go undiscovered. When I found Faceless Mother, I knew that this band isn’t exactly going to be the next Cannibal Corpse, but damn do I want these guys to do well because I can really taste the potential that these guys have to become a cult favorite among those who actually take the time to search the underground, and “The Thing That Lurks” is perhaps the most fitting start for a band like this.

LISTEN to “The Thing That Lurks” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Faceless Mother on Facebook here..