Not every end has to be definitive. It is only the nature of time that things eventually  come to an end in some form other another, but we tend to get the misconception that endings are very one-dimensional and rigid in their supposed finality. Every now and then, we get talent that simply cannot be kept down for long, and it’s sometimes that we are able to witness a transformation take place before our very eyes. It was just earlier this year that the death-doom act of Thorn threw down a new effort, but it’s now in a new form that the same passion and talent has shifted focus to make for a fresh phoenix whose flames burn brightly in fierce debauchery.

It’s an exceedingly tricky thing at times to close the book on a big part of your journey as an art. People aren’t often eager to end something that they’ve put so much time and effort into, but some people are pushed so ferociously by their passion that there is no stopping such entities once things are put into motion. I genuinely mourn our loss of Thorn, but it’s with the arrival of Sligm that we have gotten something fresh, new, undeniably different, yet similar in a way that just feels ever so right. Despite having a runtime that doesn’t even cross fourteen minutes overall, it should be obvious to any and all who come into contact with Sligm that this is raw, unfettered power made manifest. “Untethered Dimensions” accomplishes a surprising amount throughout its seven tracks of schizophrenia, homicidal mania, and absolute insanity. Far from a clean cut album, Sligm instead goes for an approach that can be likened to something more of a dull knife that’s long been worn down to the nub thanks to grinding and slicing the bones of its victims, yet Sligm is loathe to part with such a blade for all that familiarity, experience, and bloodshed that such a simple tool has brought into existence.

This isn’t some refined burst of power seeking to draw people in. Rather, “Untethered Dimensions” is an unfurling sequence of violence that begets only more violence, a cyclical experience that’s as unrelenting as it is captivating for all that it severs in both flesh and spirit. Sligm may have been born out of the corpse of Thorn, but it demands to be made clear that this is already an entity worthy of our attention and respect. Where many seek writhing death metal that revels in true insanity, it’s here that Sligm proves to be one of the few that can actual embody and channel it all to extreme effect.

LISTEN to “Untethered Dimensions” on Bandcamp here.

FOLLOW Sligm on Instagram here.