To read the news and see that the manic ruler Putin (a ‘big fuck you’ to him and his supporters on my part) is still waging war against Ukraine is painful, because there are many innocent lives on both sides being wasted due the lust of power of this motherfucker. But one lesson stays: never, for any reason you can think of, vote for someone who was on military forces or secret services. But Metal resists, and the Ukrainian act DYING GROTESQUE is back on the charge with “Celestial”, their second full-length.

Written and recorded during the years of 2020 and 2024 at Intermodulation Studio in Kyiv region, and being mixed and mastered on the same studio by the singer/guitarist Vadym (who did the artwork and design for the cover as well). The band chose to have an Old School Death Metal sonority, similar to the early albums of the Second Wave of Death Metal, when things were being done without a central idea of how recording such genre. It works on the band’s hand, allowing the listeners to understand what’s being played, even with such raw sonority. And as guest musician, here is Oleksandr ‘Archon’ Kharechko, bass player of SEVEN SEALS.

The genre of the band: Old School Death Metal in the vein that was usual for early titans of Sweden and UK, so it’s clear the Hardcore load of their music on some moments (as heard clearly on “Satellites”). But such words don’t mean that the band lacks a personality, because under the mix of guttural growls, insane jigsaw guitar riffs and insane leads, and brutal bass guitar and drums rhythmic work it’s pulsing. And the energy unleashed by their music is truly huge, something hard to listen and stay stopped. It’s really a very good work.

The songs of the band still need some maturing to be in their best form, but’s impossible to deny the value of moments as “Nuclear Meadows” (very good rhythmic contrasts can be heard, showing a strong work on bass guitar and drums), “Satellites”, “Burial Fields” (some slow moments remember what acts as BOLT THROWER used to play on the old days, with fine growls), “Purification”, “Point of View” (very good guitar riffs with the load of Old School Death Metal), “Pneuma”, “Lilith” and “Mortality”.

As the war rages on, DYING GROTESQUE is still working and resisting, so listen to “Celestial” and enjoy.