When we’re dealing in the more niche realms of what metal can offer us, it’s always important to remember that even the most gifted of acts can take a turn. What direction that turn takes varies from one band to the next, of course, and it’s almost always a tremendous sight when such overwhelming talent makes such a dramatic shift whether or not it’s befitting of their themes and approaches. For all that Ch’ahom has put forth in the past, it’s with this fresh assault that we’re given an avalanche of just how raw and unrelenting this name can still be.

It’s an impressive feat of strength and creativity for a band to be able to make a truly interesting reputation for itself with a unique sound and delivery the sort of which effortlessly sets themselves apart from much of the competition. It’s another thing altogether to show just how widespread your arsenal is as you travel from one release to the next. Time has seemingly been quite kind to the likes of Ch’ahom has their ancient Meso-American themes have been brought into a black-death metal format that’s as entrancing as it is eviscerating, but it’s every now and then the band must shed its ritualistic tendencies and showcase undeniable violence through overwhelming force. If the title of this demo alone doesn’t tell you all that you need to know about Ch’ahom’s mindset here, then it’s the entire 15-minute runtime of “Covered in the Priests Black Shit” that shows us precisely what kind of ferocity we’re seeing here. A stripped-down approach of the band’s caustic brand of aural offensives, this is still an incredibly effective effort. A claustrophobic creation that leaves nothing to chance in allowing Ch’ahom to put forth an assault guided by raw energy and untamable bloodthirst, “Covered in the Priests Black Shit” is as abominable as the title suggests yet far more interesting than it might suggest.

Contrasting concepts taken to immense lengths, the wait for the next Ch’ahom creation feels all the more worth it now with this brief stop in the throes of homicidal mania. The strength of Ch’ahom has not been something to deny for years now, yet it’s in every step throughout “Covered in the Priests Black Shit” that we see just how depraved and nasty this band can still be.

LISTEN to “Covered in the Priests Black Shit” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Ch’ahom via the Devouring Opaion on Instagram here.