SACROCURSE are quickly becoming one of the worst kept secrets of the Mexican Black Metal scene. After the release of their brilliant debut album in 2014 on Hells Headbangers, the Monterey based trio have found a small but rabid fan base not just in their home country, but abroad. Their latest EP, "Destroying Chapels", takes the macabre and gory sound of the band, complete with a new line up, and pushes the musical envelope even further.

The EPs opening offering, "Total Devastation", is a vicious, cacophonous slab of bestial Black Metal, with chaotic drumming and razor sharp, speed driven riffs providing the bulk of the intensity on this track. "Sacrocurse Temple" continues in a very similar, with sepulchral growls crowning the dense, impenetrable wall of noise created by the wailing guitars, authoritative drums and sludgy bass lines. It's every bit as dark as it is ferocious, and it really raises the bar significantly. The third, titular track on this record, "Destroying Chapels", is a short, sharp shock of violent, blisteringly fast Blackened Death Metal. The guitars really make this track, with howling trills and crunching rhythm sections providing one of this albums most impressive and eclectic performances. The song that closes the record, "Total Destruction", is a dark song with pounding drums and thick, chugging riffs, coupled with tar-like, eldritch vocals that add to the overall murky and intense sound. It has a lot of the hallmarks that made the original version a great track, but the band pepper it with aspects of their own style, with much deeper and imposing vocals and a far denser guitar tone than BATHORY utilised. It rings true to the original, without straying into the realms of being a carbon copy, and it proves to be a great way to finish this record.

Although the music on here is far from the most unique kind of Black Metal around, it is, nonetheless, a very good record. It's every bit as bleak and dismal as Black Metal should be, with a hideous, raw edge that makes these songs sound as morbid as possible. At less than fifteen minutes long, this is a brief, yet incredibly intense and impressive piece of music that all fans of old school Black Metal will really appreciate.