Seeing a band mature is a great privilege that I’ve had during my time doing these reviews, and it’s something I love to talk about up and down because when I boil it all down, seeing a band go from promising to great is a unique pleasure that can’t be compared to many other things. Many acts have given me the honor of seeing them blossom over time to become acts that so many other people can enjoy. Admittedly, I never expected Boethiah to do that but it’s with their upcoming EP that they’ve taken the first steps in that process.

With their first full-length album releasing not even a year ago, I was not expecting such a quick response from this duo. It showed definite promise and I got a real kick out of it, but it’s with these six tracks that they seemingly pulled out of fucking nowhere that Boethiah really shows us what they’re capable of. From start to finish, “Celestial Gateway” is a vicious experience of cosmic proportions with an obvious space theme that really helps Boethiah make this EP sound like the soundtrack for Event Horizon. And the great thing about what Boethiah does here compare to their full-length is how they virtually sound the exact same. I don’t know what the hell it is but after hours of listening to “Celestial Gateway” like an obsessive maniac, there’s just some mystical magic that makes these six tracks absolute treats to enjoy time after time. Boethiah truly hit the nail right on the head with true murderous intent as this EP is light years beyond what I would’ve expected from this once humble duo on any given day before today. It hits all the crucial spots that a death metal record of notable recognition should achieve, and it’s not difficult to see that Boethiah did a damn good job with “Celestial Gateway”.

Every so often the universe likes to throw the occasional curveball at me that I couldn’t have seen coming no matter what I try to do, and I’m convinced that Boethiah has dealt one such toss right my way. “Celestial Gateway” is an absolute beaut to behold and I can’t help but wholeheartedly recommend this little treat to anyone wanting some cosmic death metal in their lives straight from the underground.

“Celestial Gateway” releases on September 21st via Rotted Life!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Celestial Gateway” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Boethiah on Facebook here.