It’s more often than not that we find metal coming from the same set of countries, but it’s when you put in a little bit of elbow grease and go outside the normal boundaries that you tend to find greatness where you don’t often expect it. Europe is an absolute treasure trove of potential in metal in every capacity, but it is from Portugal that we simply do not look at (for most of us, anyway). There has been a handful of acts from the country that have managed to impress me over the years, and now it’s with Sepulcros that the list has gained a very, very promising name.

The entire of realm of death/doom metal is something that is constantly overflowing with many different brands of excellence the likes of which extremely few other styles are able to pull off in any way, and it’s through such distinct territories that Sepulcros has managed to carve out their sound in a very well-defined style while still being very much their own creation. Every moment of their debut album, “Vazio”, is spectacular in its substantial lack of light in which the listener constantly finds themselves in. The caverns that Sepulcros calls its own throughout the entirety of these six tracks allows this fresh name to cultivate their sound as it bouncing off the rock walls with such passion and brilliance that’s brought forth in dissonant riffage, wraith-like vocals that beckon to us from beyond the veil, uncompromising intensity that permeates every single note that Sepulcros lays forth, and the sheer surprise at the content of this debu which is nigh on tantalizing in virtually every form. It’s so much more than what I could’ve hoped for from just hearing the title track as “Vazio” has a limited but immensely bountiful collection of quality to throw around in such a relatively short amount of time and it’s in that tight amount of time that Sepulcros bewilders in many different ways that all do the vast realm of death/doom extreme justice from its intensity, passion, and damn good understanding of the style with it all coming together no less than stupendously to make for something that’s not just satisfying in several ways, but damn unforgettable if we’re to consider what greatness the ever-expanding realm of death/doom has to offer.

While the list of exemplary bands coming out of Portugal may not be as a high as many of us would like, there’s no way to deny that whenever that flow of quality does happen it results in something far more than striking in every fashion with Sepulcros just being the latest edition of Portugese wonder. So much of “Vazio” is what the vast darkness of death/doom has always had a knack for, and it only gets better and better with every single listen without exception.

“Vazio” releases on March 12th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Vazio” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Sepulcros on Facebook here.