With 16 minutes of raging, furious Death Metal, CRUSH THE ALTAR haven't given your humble reviewer much to dissect. I know the crowds bay for blood, but each moment here is put to good use, creating an incredibly enjoyable EP. It may not rewrite the book on Metal, but it definitely avoids the typically homogeneous mess Death Metal has become.

To anyone who has read anything about CRUSH THE ALTAR, you may be asking why I've called them Death Metal. Their whole aesthetic is incredibly seeped in the iconography of Black Metal, and their complete absence of social media is typical of Black Metal. However, all that is Blackened about this particular release is the minuscule intro and outro for the entire ep, which are simply generic Blackened soundscapes. That, and the fact that the vocalist possibly has too much reverb on their voice. Ignoring the obvious hints that this band really need to figure out what exactly they are, they have presented for us some superbly written Death Metal.

My personal favorite track, opener "See Mortality," may open with a vestigial and somewhat jarring Black Metal opening, but this is quickly replaced by an onslaught of guitars and drums. Great riffs are replaced by even greater riffs, and a final half time reprise of the main riff finishes off the piece in supreme fashion. Techniques such as a half-time riff reprise are nothing new, but when used appropriately, as they are here, they force a listener to groove along, whether they like it or not.

As quickly as the EP comes, it goes. Remaining tracks "Demonizing The Ancient Lore" and "Decastery Ruin" are both supremely effective, but yet again, do nothing new. As a standalone chunk of Death Metal, this is a highly enjoyable release, that suffers upon repeat listens. Thankfully, the short running time means the EP is over before it starts to bore. However, CRUSH THE ALTAR desperately need to find a unique selling point before releasing an album, because what entertains briefly, may bore when stretched to 40 minutes. If they truly incorporate elements of Black Metal, rather than merely embellishing the EP with them, they could create something incredibly impactful. CRUSH THE ALTAR are most certainly a band to keep on your radar, even if only on the edge of your periphery.