Brutal Belfast boys blast back with blinding brilliance and bludgeoning beats! REX SHACHATH follow up their 2012 "Sepulchral Torment" extended player with second EP "Revocation of the Blood Elect" and it's a solid chunk of Death Metal from beginning to end. The major difference between this sophomore effort and its predecessor is the production. Whilst "Sepulchral Torment" was a decent enough first effort the guys have really turned it up for this latest collection.

The band's odd moniker actually comes from two different roots. "Rex" from Latin is literally "the king" but "shachath" took a little investigation. It comes from Hebrew and can best be translated to mean 'destroyer' or 'corrupter'.   So, ancient languages lesson out of the way, on to the music.

The first death-laced ditty "Atonement Through Atrocity" is all grunting, growly vocals, precision-picked riffing and killer double-bass drums (sadly drummer Jay has subsequently left the band). Next up is "Impious Axiom", with a touch of SLAYER in the opening licks and a great chugging main riff. It's a welcome change when the guitar solos are tastefully played and melodically structured rather than the blizzard of notes wankery that so many players hid behind.

The title track is possibly the most complex in terms of the arrangement, and shows the second big difference between this and the first EP. The songwriting has really come on in leaps and bounds, and this track is the epic of the piece. "Within the Temple Disgust" has a main riff that'll really have those heads nodding (or windmilling) during live shows I'm sure, and features a guest vocal from Ben McCrow (EXTREME NOISE TERROR, THE ROTTED, GOREROTTED).

The EP ends with "Colossus Rise", which is for me the catchiest of the five songs on offer. Lyrics are almost always open to interpretation, but for me the message here is the damage to the environment that we are all (to a lesser or greater extent) contributing to. And that sadly brings us to the end, and it feels as if it arrived all too soon. As they say, "Time flies when you're having fun".

It's Death Metal that draws heavily on the influences of earlier pioneers such as MORBID ANGEL, VADER, IMMOLATION, CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEICIDE, but still feels fresh and relevant. Based on this second EP it would be interesting to see what the future holds. I for one hope that it'll be a full LP.