Prepare for a new age of wicked superstition and the rebirth of old and hungry gods to the sound of the debut album by this Indonesian Death Metal tribe.
Indonesia is a festering sore of Brutal Death Metal, infected with an array of bands that explore the outer limits of savagery and sickness just like Yogyakarta-based horde Anthropophagus Depravity. Writhing like maggots in a wound, these pioneers of putridity eat their way deeper and deeper into the darkness, entwining shuddering heaviness with chilling atmosphere and nightmarish brutality. Their debut full length album, entitled Apocalypto, is a torrent of overwhelming, suffocating horror that feeds upon the vicious rituals of the ancient Mayan religion, with its furious riffs and relentless blasts seeming to force themselves down your throat, choking you with a pitiless intensity. Armed with furious riffs, relentless blasts and nerve-shredding atmosphere, the band comprised of Pandu Herlambang on vocals, Eko Aryo Widodo and Rico Zerico on the guitars, Cahyono Hari Wijayanto on bass and Sahrul Ramadhan on drums is ready to kill with their shuddering heaviness, turning their new opus into a must-have for admirers of the music by Devangelic, Relics of Humanity, Disentomb and Analepsy.
The intro Hymn to Apocalypto kicks off with the vile riffage by Eko and Rico while Sahrul already showcases his rage behind his drums, with its tribalistic second half setting the tone for the Deathslam hymn Forecasting Ruination, with Pandu roaring like a demented beast from the underworld and, therefore, sounding perfect for slamming into the pit to the fulminating beats by Sahrul and the classic Death Metal riffs by the band’s guitar duo. Then a quick cinematic start explodes into sheer brutality in the visceral The Mayan Disaster, continuing their path of devastation, blood and fear, while Eko and Rico’s guitars are nicely supported by Cahyono’s infernal bass punches; and a gruesome gnarl by Pandu ignites another feast of dementia entitled Temple of Sacrifice, with Sahrul showing no mercy for his drums (and consequently for our necks) in a great display of contemporary Brutal Death Metal.
If you think those Indonesian metallers are tired of slamming our heads with their brutal music you’re absolutely wrong, as they offer us the straightforward, in-your-face tune Immolation for the Sacred God, showcasing their usual violence in the form of guttural growls, slashing riffs and pulverizing drums; whereas Pandu sounds even more furious than before in Escape from the Dead Lands, accompanied by the hellish kitchen crafted by Sahrul and Cahyrono. Their second to last Apocalyptic Death Metal extravaganza comes in the form of Ruthless Nation Perished, with Pandu roaring and gurgling rabidly from start to finish, or in other words, it’s another fantastic option for crushing your spinal cord into the circle pit, not to mention its disturbing ending, I might say, flowing into Mantra Solar Eclipse, a six-minute ritualistic, demolishing Death Metal creation by Anthropophagus Depravity that will haunt your souls for all eternity, with Pandu taking the lead once again with his wicked roaring, all spiced up by a sick guitar solo to properly end the album.
The vile and infernal Death Metal blasted by Anthropophagus Depravity in Apocalypto can be appreciated in full on YouTube and on Spotify, but of course in order to take part in their demonic rituals you should definitely purchase the album from Comatose Music’s BandCamp page or webstore, as well as from Amazon and other retailers like Barnes & Noble. In addition, don’t forget to follow this talented Indonesian tribe on Facebook and on Instagram, and to subscribe to their YouTube channel for more of their pulverizing creations. Having said all that, prepare for a new age of wicked superstition and the rebirth of old and hungry gods, and of course for slamming into the circle pit like a rabid beast, to the sound of Apocalypto.
Best moments of the album: Forecasting Ruination and Ruthless Nation Perished.
Worst moments of the album: None.
Released in 2021 Comatose Music
Track listing
1. Hymn to Apocalypto 2:46
2. Forecasting Ruination 4:33
3. The Mayan Disaster 3:43
4. Temple of Sacrifice 4:38
5. Immolation for the Sacred God 4:26
6. Escape from the Dead Lands 3:10
7. Ruthless Nation Perished 4:12
8. Mantra Solar Eclipse 6:17
Band members
Pandu Herlambang – vocals
Eko Aryo Widodo – guitar
Rico Zerico – guitar
Cahyono Hari Wijayanto – bass
Sahrul Ramadhan – drums