ANGEL MORGUE is a death metal band from New Hampshire who formed in 2017.  After putting out a demo that same year, 2020 brings us their full length debut "In The Morgue Of Angels." Just minutes into playing the album for the first time, I had a big smile on my face because "In The Morgue Of Angels," gives off heavy INCANTATION vibes.  ANGEL MORGUE have that same approach where one minute they are playing brutal death metal then the next they slow down to a crushing crawl and let the doom metal wash over.

The opening track, "Lust Murder," exemplifies exactly what I mean-just listen to those thick riffs and the hammering bass!  Despite the tracks slow tempo it is every bit as unrelentingly unwavering in its purpose bring the crushing weight of death upon us all.  Much like a predator that slowly gears up to run down its prey, the track begins to show shines of movement  and it comes around the halfway mark with huge, chopping riffs that slices through the atmosphere just before the song speeds up with inhuman drumming and death metal shrieks.

The brutally titled "Raped In Church," has some black metal influences, especially in the beginning riffs and the drums.  This song fires out of the gate rapidly but just as quickly allows the doom to emerge again, with some very slight hints of melody but it only increases the darkness.  The movement between 3:04 until the song's end is so badass that I had to rewind it over and over again. I just love those menacing, darkness approaching riffs that is death approaching on horseback.

"Various Stages of Decomposition," is another burner-much like the title would suggest, the music has a feel of something once alive slowly descending to another state of matter.  The riffs that begin around the first minute of the song are very strong and carry the song to the speed drenched attack of the track's halfway point.  The snare hammers it in while the guitars and bass drop ten ton hammers—just laser focused on devastating death metal.

"Cosmic Torment," is as dark as a black hole in the void of space; the drums and vocals showcase the danger in the impenetrable darkness and I'll have to admit the guitar riffs are catchy as hell.  The drums accent them very well too, keeping the song rocking and rolling right along its path of killing everything. The last track is the title track and it is a bruiser. The drums are so intense they are damn never suffocating. The vocals are low, flowing out like a miasma from underneath the rest of the band. The bass is at its heaviest here around the 2:20 mark, the perfect rhythm for the increasingly acidic vocal attack.

I enjoyed every second I spent with this album and is one of the best death metal debuts I've heard in some time. But it isn't for everyone—this isn't the album that will make you like death metal.  It's just too dark, scary, and visceral for anyone but the hardcore death heads to enjoy  However, if this is your style (and it better be) then do not sleep on this modern gem of brutality.   I will continue to follow ANGEL MORGUE because "In The Morgue Of Angels" proves they are going to be a big name in the scene.