One of the great allures of any form of death metal is how fucking intense it can be right from the get-go. An album that can pull off the sound of truly going for the throat without any sort of compromise or shortcoming is a sure sign of a band that’s more than worthy of further investigation as well as whatever fan base it accrues over time. As soon as I hit play, I knew that “Kultus” was exactly that kind of record, and Elegies is an act that’s far more than deserving of whatever attention they get.

It’s not even a minute into this album and we’re greeted with everything that a good death metal act could bring to the table while still keeping a few tricks up their sleeves: melody, heaviness, and unbridled power that is seeping out of every single note. With a thin layer of black metal influence to nicely wrap this pulsating core of absolute madness and bloody fury, “Kultus” delivers everything that it should without ever breaking a single sweat in the process. The very essence of this entire effort is to draw blood in the most ferocious senses in order to brutalize the listener almost immediately without even getting to the second song, and it’s with the remainder of the album that continues to pulverize you into an unrecognizable pulp of bleeding flesh that is somehow only begging for more simply because of how infectious Elegis is throughout. That’s probably the most impressive part about Elegis here. It’s not just the heaviness or the solid but not overwhelming sense of melody that’s constantly at play, but, rather, how amazingly infectious “Kultus” is from beginning to end as it all comes together seamlessly without fail. It not only makes Elegis a force to be reckoned with by all standards, but it makes “Kultus” that absolutely must be heard by any death metal fan that wants their shit going for the throat and taking the kill at every given opportunity which, let’s be honest here, is every single death metal fan.

You would really need to go out of your way to try and say that what’s been done here isn’t overflowing with so much of what draws people into the vast and uncompromising realm of death metal in the first place. Elegies absolutely nail it at every single fucking turn without so much as a misstep or hesitation that any lesser act would do, and that just makes this effort all the more engaging in every aspect. If you want something that’s not going to disappoint and satisfy that constant itch for excellent death metal, you simply can’t go wrong with “Kultus”.

LISTEN to “Kultus” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Elegis on Facebook here.