"Sorcery of the Damned" is the debut EP from Chile's ORACULUM. Formed in 2011, the band is sure to induce some nostalgia for fans of old-school Extreme Metal.
The band's sound is pretty simple, combining the malicious attitude of Death Metal with the speed and muddy production of traditional Black Metal. The songs are populated with bludgeoning riffs, as on the engaging opener "The Vessel of Orichalcum," that are completely satisfying without sounding generic, and the band takes care to vary the pacing from time to time to let their instruments breath, instead of going completely blastbeat/double-bass in the rhythm section. "Primeval Flame" is another powerful offering that delivers the heaviness at a variety of speeds while never diminishing in its atmosphere of dread and gloom, and the sincerity of their efforts definitely makes their venomous display all the more convincing.

"Passage I" is an instrument-only track that expands on the doomier elements of the band's sound. It serves as a nice segue into the next song, "Endarkenment," which closes things out neatly with its all out blitzkrieg of infernal rhythmic pounding and septic riffage, alternating between warp-speed sections and slower, crushing parts. I'm not going to lie, "Sorcery of the Damned" is far from innovative, but its uncompromising assault on the eardrums is nevertheless impressive. The murky, down-tuned guitars and intense rhythm section are satisfying at a core level for fans of old-school Extreme Metal, and their grasp of songwriting for this particular style ensures that things never feel stale throughout. Four songs isn't a whole lot to go off of, but I think it's safe to say that "Sorcery of the Damned" is a solid release that should definitely appeal to lovers of fast, dark, evil-sounding music.<