I love being wrong sometimes. It was just a few weeks ago with the forthcoming offensive from Unbounded Terror that I came before the Spanish death metal scene once again with all the nuance and undead splendor that it has to offer, and I was genuinely convinced it would be a hot minute before I would find myself in its depths yet again despite all the talent that it has to offer. Yet, it is already that one of the longest standing bastions of the Spaniards in the form of the revered Avulsed that a twelve-year gap since their last full-length album is finally ended and I find myself gorging upon the blighted waters for all that they have to offer.

Right away, this is the kind of record that gives off the sort of energy that this is going to be something special. Avulsed has made quite a name for itself ever since its inception from the early 90s, and it’s in the time sense that these masters have been quite consistent within their creations as true monoliths of the sound and underground icons that have long demanded respect. “Phoenix Cryptobiosis” only furthers that reputation to an overwhelming degree. An unyielding assault of death metal that’s as straightforward as much as it is a writhing creation of madness that ensures maximum destruction even in the album’s smallest moments, this is a work that embodies what it means to leave nothing to chance nor suffer any survivors to tell the tales of what monstrosities lurk within its dark, dripping halls wreathed the tombs of long-dead fools. A constant barrage of madness that is overwhelmingly effective in its delivery of riffs and a deep understanding of the genre that can only be found from the absolute finest of the gritty underground, it is every turn throughout “Phoenix Cryptobiosis” that Avulsed more than lives up to its reputation. Infectious without compromise and no less than a masterful display of what Spanish death metal can still be even after such a long time in the game, Avulsed is the name that many of us need to worship more.

Where it was Unbounded Terror that started 2025 off on a high note for all of Spain, it is here that Avulsed helps takes things to the next level. Not so much as a shred of flesh nor a drop of blood was wasted in the crafting of this absolute ripper of an album that stands monolithically compared to much of the competition. Crafted by a legion of masters that have long been operating at the frontlines of death metal itself, Avulsed has done naught but deliver and accomplish dark greatness with all that is “Phoenix Cryptobiosis”.

“Phoenix Cryptobiosis” releases on March 4th via Xtreem Music!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Phoenix Cryptobiosis” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Avulsed on Facebook here.