Metal maniacs, rejoice! I am proud to present to you: ULFUD; signed via Dark Descent Records, hailing from Icelandic grounds - performing Blackened Death Metal, on their debut full-length studio album entitled "Of Existential Distortion" (released March 17th, 2023). Since formation in 2015; the quintet in question have only an EP entitled: "First Sermon" (released April 25th, 2018) & this here debut full-length studio album in their discography so far entitled: "Existential Distortion", 8 tracks ranging around 44:34... ULFUD arranges an intricately designed formula on some heavy-hitting Black/Death Metal amalgamations.

Opening up with this ominous introduction in blasphemous frenzy; this profane trepidation of rampantly rompy mayhem manifests with monolithic tempo & scouring snares that rollick with rumbling reverberation, amongst an amplified adrenaline in boisterously bouncy distortion... distilling a dense harmony in blackened deathliness within "Where Strange Lights Dance". Bludgeoning eardrums with razor-sharp thuds on sturdy malignancy; as diabolical abhorrence implements a dark ethereality, crafting a distinctive slab on solid repugnance which rips & shreds with gnarly fabrication from twinning yet volatile systematics from guitar duo: Eysteinn Orri Sigurðsson/Birkir Kárason. Both conjure up this towering viscerality on versatile vehemence & rapidly swift nimbleness on dexterously dynamic substance that's most raw whilst organically bombastic.

"Tears Of Terra" belts a clobbering foundation in borderline and experimental impact; impulsing a bruising but concretely gritty calamity in bulldozing heft, frolicking chugs gallop with ruthless tremolo surges which stomp with rambunctiously piledriving stability from hammering drummer Sigurður Jakobsson. Synergised with thumpy bass audibility from flickering bassist Hannar Sindri Grétarsson (also on backing vocals) elements at a flamboyant execution in infectious injections of venomous maelstrom momentum that rages on with rampageous intensity, as "Mockery Theatre" ramifies with salubriously striking pursuits of pummelling tonality that's rather tight & punchy, merged with the ritualistic malformation of brutal bestiality... as an enthralling finesse in menacing masquerades of monstrously meaty savagery which rampages through you that's just pleasingly most sinister.

"Faceless" & "Gods Left Behind" fabricates a distinguished aesthetic in heralding crescendo assimilation, as drum cymbals slap with smacking but foreboding maliciousness & evil empowering firepower expertise that's vivaciously rigorous whilst seamlessly renegading with vigorous songwriting musicianship that revolves around a firing all cylinder contrast on top of an all guns blazing soar of uproarious technicality that's relentlessly maniacal which unearths this desecrating crunch on riveting rhythms whilst throaty raspiness from Breki Danielsen Imsland who attributes with ruthless guttural growls on top of a deep grumble on shrieking pipes that are a bleeding alignment of oppressive proportion.

Groove-bomb havoc chaotically merges synthetic harmonies; alongside with the extreme intervention in symbolic perseverance that's profusely robust & persistently malevolent, where slaying grinds articulate with virtuoso revs which trembles speakers with virulent stridency. "Questions" & the penultimate banger "An Elegy to a Paradise Out of Reach" harness a bleak but chiselling atmosphere in harrowing ambience; whilst that ghoulish gravitation excels at ghastly heaviness and sombre salvation that transitions with pulverizing musicality, the latter being the longest on the record at a staggering 8-minute ritual of vexing barbarity that's portentously morbid (of the good kind of course).

Overall concluding the record with the finale epic: "Leviathan Dreams"; I am compelled to say that "Of Existential Distortion" was an enjoyable entertaining discovery & spin that's worthy of replaying should you fancy a healthy dose in Blackened Death Metal meticulation, ULFUD most surely outdone themselves with this one... making this subgenre justifiably riveting whilst wrathfully engaging and captivating to kick to - do check it out.