I'm not real sure what I, Voidhanger Records is doing but I hope they never stop. This is the second one man space themed extreme metal band from the label that I have reviewed this week.  COSMIC PUTREFACTION is Blackened/Death Metal project/band from Italy.  "The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers" is the second release from the project's lone operator G.G.

It is one of those albums that has more depth than at first glance. At under 35 minutes with six tracks that are near non stop intensity, its easy to think this is just solid, no frills, blackened death metal.  But as a reviewer, I of course listen to an album multiple times whether like it or not. Somewhere around the third or fourth listen, the cosmic black hole that makes up this album's atmosphere sucked me in and took me to a world where endless blood soaked nightmares are just another day.

The layers peeled back and I discovered an album with a lot to offer and a lot going on.  Since it is just six tracks, I will go through all of them as best I can but this is the type of album that needs to be heard to be believed-mere words can't quite capture the chaos that is thrown among the stars across this blacked death extravaganza. "Between Awe and Fear upon the Burst of the Ominous Star," ignites it all with untamed immediacy.  Deep growls, thick shrieks, and rapid fire riffs push down the gates, all of it riding across a harrowing drum performance.  The guitars weave in and out with all kinds of different riffs, notes, and even moods.  Despite the cacophony of noise, the bass manages to stand out very well too which is something a lot of bands this intense tend to lose focus on.

The second track, " This Landscape Sublimates Oblivion to Obliteration," slows it down just a bit but ramps up the throbbing of the bass guitar that sounds like a growl from some other worldly creature.  The part from 2:35 onward is pure fucking genius too: insanely progressive yet catchy guitar riffs rip through the song's underbelly, leaving gaping wounds for the tortured vocals to escape.

"The Glooming Murk of His Telluric Shrieks," is broken up by rhythm guitar that starts and stops on a dime.  The song's opening, choppy moments break away to a more groove oriented style about half way through but pieces of G.G.'s technical prowess poke through with seemingly random moments.  However, nothing about this album is all that random.  This is chaos but it has purpose, the nooks, crannies, twists and turns methodically carried out in the most controlled way that it can. " Abysmal Resonance Projection" is full speed ahead with raspy blackened wails and deep growls leading the way to the ambient mid section that in turn leads into a heavier section that is one of the most intense on the album.  The structured groove and heavy yet crisp snare end the track smartly, a more whimsical final than presented on the track's beginning.  The track fades away with simple key tones that meld perfectly into the next track.

"The Arcane Soothsayer Carefully Sculpted His Demise," is the most focused song on the album, as far as the guitar riffs ago, which rely more on speed to propel the song instead of fancy showmanship.  Moments of cold, far away melodies sprinkle across the track's later half as the drums gain intensity. The final track, "Utterance of the Fall of Man," is the albums highlight for me.  Just when some small form of monotony was beginning to creep in, this song sweeps it all away.  Instead of raging space metal for the song's structure, symphonic elements come into play for an epic opening.  The band's wild fury appears quickly thereafter until it is once more joined by the marriage of ambient and symphonic elements.  Even as the track reaches outside its boundaries, the drums keep everything grounded onto more brutal terra firma.

COSMIC PUTREFACTION's "The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers," accomplishes a lot in a shorter run time than most other extreme space themed bands.  I'm fine with that as it fuels the cold terror of space and all the feelings that come with that while still melting my face off.