There is always a time and place for massive, grandiose works that leave us in awe of what’s been created as we’re faced with something that can only be considered the very epitome of artistic expression and music pushed to be all that it can. Sometimes, though, it’s a damn good time to simply listen to something straightforward that doesn’t need any sort of immense thought to time to digest. Simply, a solid listen that fires on all cylinders without breaking new ground or trying to reinvent the style. There is a reward in finding such a creation as you can really feel the passion for the classic veins still alive and well, and it’s only because of bands like Ashen Tomb that we’re able to dive into such works on a surprisingly consistent basis.

The bottom line for any band’s debut is damn near nonexistent since there are little to no preconceived notions of what the band’s sound is actually going to be or how it will be approached, yet there’s always something comforting when being told that such an effort is the style in its simplest yet most effective form. When it came to their debut, Ashen Tomb’s something is uncompromisingly straightforward death metal. Naught but three tracks adorn this EP with a 14-minute runtime, it would be an understatement to say that this effort checks off all the right boxes when it comes to creations of death metal that are nothing but. Nothing overly fancy or mind-bending is done here which really allowed Ashen Tomb to craft a death metal sound that can simply be itself, but it’s even in such a circumstance that the very reality of this eponymous effort is nothing short of ear-catching as it’s not just undeniably vicious but wildly effective from the very beginning. It’s packed to the rim with riffs and nastiness the likes of which only the best acts in the very undergrowth of the death metal scene are able to achieve in a pure form of undeniable, visceral ecstasy on a level the likes of which the masses will surely flock to if given the chance. This is death metal as it should be by those seeking to keep the stench of rotting flesh strong and the tombs constantly overflowing: singular in its goal and unforgiving right from the very beginning as the very shadow of death looms over all that comes even close to what this EP summons forth.

While I’m compelled to sit here and make the claim that straightforward creations like this are by no means few and far between in the current state of the underground that we find ourselves in, specific works of such high quality like what Ashen Tomb has delivered here cannot be seen as anything less than efforts that continue to drive such movements as not only do they do everything that they need to correctly, but all of it is done in stupendous fashion. With this being but the first step from Ashen Tomb, how can any of us stand before it and not become overwhelmed at the very prospect of a more mature and honed vision of an already deadly beast of a band?

“Ashen Tomb” releases on November 11th via Godz ov War Productions!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Ashen Tomb” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Ashen Tomb on Facebook here.