TRIUMVIR FOUL, an American Death Metal band formed in 2014, and a strong contender for the prize of most unreadable logo, unleashed their début full-length album at the end of last year, flying under the same moniker. Purportedly being based around the principles of disgust, hatred, and anxiety, this album delivers just as a debased offering as one might anticipate from such tenets.

Slithering in on an eerie distorted atmosphere overlaid with chanted words in a ritualistic voice that any demon would be proud to muster, "Labyrinthine - The Blood Serpent Unwinds" oozes in the darkest Black/Doom. And just to keep things interesting, add a good pinch of really Old School Death and barely audible guitar experimentation, and you basically have the essence of "Profanation (of the Wicked)". This dirty grunginess is further amplified in "Pathways to Decay", with the guitar taking on a droning buzzing, outdone only by bass lines so low it sounds like the bass is barely strung at all. The tempo gets taken up slightly at the apex of the album, with "The Vomit of the Three Serpents (Ušumgallu, Bašmu, Mušmaḫḫū)", ushering in a welcome change of pace. Again, Doom elements come far more to the fore in "Endless Spiritual Violence", with screeching feedback leading us into the more brutal "Banished to Silence and Slavery". This in turns perfectly sets the scene for "Carnal Spectre", a song that brings to mind the very early days of Death Metal. This is perhaps the most breakneck song of the album, driven by a seemingly insatiable sense of urgency. This relentlessness is kept up until the final song "Tower of Bašmu - The Corruption of Flesh and Spirit", leaving us with a mouth full of dust.

The production quality has also managed attain the prized quality of being rawer than a vegan's worst nightmare, and could be considered excellent if the recording was done in a cave. Using sticks. Which is exactly the kind of sound that you're looking for for an album like "Triumvir Foul". Having said that, the mixing could have been slightly better had the guitar tracks been slightly more in the fore. Overall, this trio have unleashed an album that really pushes the boundaries between droning chaos and music. Put succinctly, this is what I'd imagine Death Metal sounds like if you're on a really really bad trip, and is definitely something that will have the greatest appeal for true Death Metal elitists.  Certainly not something for everyone, but for fans of Old School Death Metal, this should be right up your alley.