Within the small and relatively quiet town of Anderson, nestled in northern California USA, something more than a getaway spot for some and the surrounding countryside lay festering. Just below the quiet appeal of a small town, comes a heavy and thick distortion of death, a sound of death from a group of like minded individuals. A group of individuals who came to bring you DECAYED EXISTENCE. A band that has 30 years worth of experience as it formed back in 1991 before they marched on the world with the festering rot of death metal. Crushing the masses in a torrent of brutality with a vast amount of demos, singles, EP’s and three previous full-length albums, DECAYED EXISTENCE is back. 

 With a festing display of death comes their latest EP unapologetically “The Beginning of Sorrows” which was released October 11th, 2024 under the banner of Rottweiler Records. Despite being an EP, this album will hit hard for 30:08 minutes and lasts over eight tracks. So with years of experience behind them, this album should decimate your senses. Let's find out.

 So the art chosen for the album is okay but seems to be potentially either two works layered together or possibly made partially by A.I. Not sure how I feel about it. A swirling orange nexus lay within the background as two wreaths emerge from either side with shades of teal. The foreground consists of a rocky terrain with a path leading to a temple as a skeleton rests in the foreground rocks to the right. The Bands Logo sits right central while the album name lay center bottom in a bright teal-like color. For a death metal band it fits.

 A solid and drowned out scream carries out over a heavy and thick chord progression coated by solid blast beats. Solid groove chords and undertones resonate within the track's chord progressions and sets the pace for the track as “Escape The Dead” opens the album. A solid solo picks up and shreds near the end and fades off into a solid bass riff. Vocals are decent but sit a little bit low in the mix.

 “Beheading the Colossus” has a unique technical start as you can hear the pounding of drums underneath the flair. A solid slam chord progression paired with some good use of what could be pinch harmonics and a bit of a sweep. Without wasting any time, the track kicks off as the vocals pick up to coat everything in caustic death. A solid old school death sound that is definitely tinged in a groove undertone and plays with the slam chord progressions at times.

 So far as I go through the album, one thing sticks out to me above all and that is the mixing. Vocals are too low in the mix and seem a bit too compressed. Giving a bit of air to breathe and pumping that volume into the vox would help immensely. Aside from this, “The Beginning of Sorrows” is a decent EP. Each track offers a bit of flair and resonates with old school raw death metal while immersed in some solid grove undertones. There are elements of technicality and slam added to the mix which offers a bit of dynamic to their tone and they pull it off well. This album leans more into groove death for me and has elements that remind me of PANTARA. Decent album but I feel they need to tighten up on the mixing a bit more as some of the levels just seem off, mainly the vocals.

 “Detonation” is definitely an explosive track enriched with an upbeat groove tone that festers with the brutality of death. I believe the track is recorded live as well. For a fast paced and upbeat track, this one is disgusting in all the right ways with a thick tone of brutality coating everything. A neat little break down peeks in as the track plays with other elements of slam chord progressions that add to breaking up that up beat groove. Decent way to close the album off.

Overall, “The Beginning of Sorrows” is a decent album aside from the mix issues. With heavy groove metal influences and playing with slam riffs, this album had all the hallmarks of a good death metal album. DECAYED EXISTENCE has been on their crusade for over thirty years now and have a lot to offer with their flavor of death. Heavily influenced by groove chord progressions and slam riffs, this album is worth giving it a shot. For an EP, it has some substance to it With even a few live recorded tracks added to the mix. I look forward to hearing their next full-length album and seeing what they do next.