On April 24th, 2020, XPUS will release "In Umbra Mortis Sedent." XPUS is a death metal band that hails from Italy. Since forming in 2015, they have only released their demo and a debut album "Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth," both in 2015.

XPUS is an homage to old school death metal. The production is suitably raw, just enough that the instruments aren't indistinguishable. The riffs are a great mix of slow and fast, but always have a heavy, full sound. The low-end from the bass and guitar has a strong and oppressive presence. Vocals are a gruff growl throughout, adding to the murkiness. Unfortunately, the drums have a comparatively weak presence on most tracks, almost as if muffled by the production.

"Abyssus Abyssum Invocat (Intro)" is an eerie intro, filled with strange clanking, bell tolls, static, and ominous beastly growls. The first real track, "Into the Sphere of Madness," starts off with a kick-ass low, almost doomy, riff. "Blood Rite of Liberation" continues with the grimy death metal. It starts off as a fast-paced track but is sprinkled with slow and heavy doom riffs. A quick guitar wail of a solo breaks up the low wall of sound.

The two middle tracks are quite strong. "Of Purity, Chastity and Temptation," is a bit faster than the previous tracks, but just as heavy. "Broken is the Seal of Equilibrium" is my favorite on this album. Great riffs after great riffs!

The track "Righteous Hands of Molestation" absolutely pummels you with the drumming and riffs. "Holy Sperm upon the Lambs" is the last track of substance, as "Repentance, Forgiveness and Salvation (Outro)" is a short track. "Holy Sperm upon the Lambs" is a good closer as it echoes the musical elements of the entire album.

Overall, I recommend this album, especially to fans of old school death metal. If you like bands like INCANTATION or FETID, then listen to this band! The album is a little grimy, a little slow, and a little fast, but mostly just incredibly dense. XPUS shows great potential with their riff crafting, and I hope to hear more from them in the future.