TRAUMA are quite the trio of accomplished death metal veterans and they're back to penetrate and pummel your cold, dark soul once more. Starting in the late-1980's, the deathly trio are one of Poland's oldest, and most experienced death metal acts, so much so, you can pretty much smell the cadaver collection excreting from their vast discography of wretched cuts. Seasoned musicians like this stand the test of time because their consistent and simplistic, but impactful, accomplished works speak for themself, their ability to execute an exquisitely brutal assault on the ears is effortless, yet with power that can annihilate in a heartbeat.

Following last year's eighth studio album, "Ominous Black", TRAUMA present a sonic onslaught in their latest release, the cranially crushing four-track monster EP, "Acrimony". Taking the young blood of the death metal world to school and showing them exactly how they've endured nearly 30 years in the realms of death mastery, TRAUMA serve up a solid slab of traditional death metal in four bone-shattering seismic cuts, all full to the brim with a moreish intoxicating prowess.

The death veterans crank open "Acrimony" with the brewing brilliance of "Internal Sacrifice", sprawling and atmospheric, building to a shattering crescendo filled with a trudge of bass and incessant blastbeats. The gnarly "The Godless Abyss" is an unhallowed creation and has emerged from the tenebrous corners of the most insidious place. This snarling demonic beast of a track unleashes unnerving fury in the form of ominous dissonant passages, impaling you on TRAUMA's scythe of sonic putridity with a black shroud of rumbling bass lines and body blows from bullet-spewing blastbeats. A tasty solo ensues - a masterstroke to be savoured, it must be said - midway through the track and Chudy's growls slice through you as masterfully and effortlessly as a Samurai's sword.

There's a comforting familiarity within the cuts that mirror TRAUMA's previous work of art "Ominous Black". Could it be because "Acrimony" was recorded in the same sessions as the former release and the demonic juices of the full-length flowed into this production? Or maybe it's that TRAUMA stick with the formulaic genius of solid riffs and face-melting execution they've so perfectly mastered over time? Either way, it works brilliantly. The likes of "Reign of Terror" terrify with an attack of filthy riffs and grooves that reach into your body and rip your heart out, all layered with an incessant assault from the rhythm section and wrapped up with cataclysmic destruction from boisterous vocals. And what a way to bookend this mini-album? An absolutely delicious cover of the Dutch death demons GOREFEST "Reality When you Die". TRAUMA retain that suffocating wall of sound, that simply irresistible haunting hunk of oppression in temporal teases, unsettling bass tone and overpowering riffs, but injected with a few more grooves that work perfectly. It's a solid rendition and firmly on my personal list of covers that have been exquisitely nailed.

"Acrimony" is a slab of excellence to savour, packed with riffs that stick like flies to a shit, well-timed grooves that grind in you and a clear focus on quality over quantity. TRAUMA chug forty-three minutes of lip-smacking filth down your throat in the latest release and trust me, you'll love it.