Album Review – Enthrallment / Against The Will To Live – Sky Burial (2021)

Get ready to be smashed by the brand new opus by this old school band formed at the zenith of the Death Metal industry in Bulgaria in times of political and social turbulence.

Brought into being in the fires of Pleven, Bulgaria at the zenith of the Death Metal industry in 1998 in times of political and social turbulence, Brutal Death Metal/Grindcore outfit Enthrallment is back in action with their sixth full-length opus, entitled Against The Will To Live – Sky Burial. Produced by the band’s own drummer Ivo Ivanov and Enthrallment at MRDR Sound Studio in Sofia, Bulgaria and displaying a Stygian cover art by Denumbra Artworks, Against The Will To Live – Sky Burial showcases a precise mix of American and European Death Metal carefully crafted by vocalist Plamen Bakardzhiev, guitarists Vasil Furnigov and Nikola Ognyanov, basisst Rumen Pavlov and drummer Ivo Ivanov, being therefore highly recommended for admirers of the fury and talent of bands such as Suffocation, Entombed and Immolation.

The eerie guitars by Vasil and Nikola kick off the Stygian opening tune Hollow Roots, evolving into a putrid Death Metal feast spearheaded by the crushing drums by Ivo. In other words, what a pulverizing sound spiced up by the gruesome roars by Plamen, and the band continues to hammer their sonic weapons and to smash our cranial skulls in Painting A Bloody Symphony, a straightforward, classic Death Metal extravaganza tailored for fans of bands the likes of Suffocation and Morbid Angel. There’s no time to take a breath as Rumen slams his metallic bass manically in Surgical Masquarade, accompanied by the visceral growls by Plamen and the always brutal riffage by the band’s guitar duo, resulting in another excellent option for heading into the circle pit for some action.

More insanity in the form of Death Metal is offered to our avid ears in Divine Mandolins, with Rumen and Ivo generating a menacing ambience with their infernal kitchen; and get ready for another round of savagery and heaviness in Sacrificial Euthanasia, where Plamen showcases more of his deep guttural roars nonstop, being therefore recommended for some nice and sweet headbanging. Then a massive wall of deadly sounds will hit you hard in the head in Hegemony Of The Weak, where the band brings forward all their fury together with a high dosage of intricacy, whereas like a beast lurking in pitch black darkness, Enthrallment will devour your flesh in Giving Alms To Birds, with Plamen’s hellish roaring being nicely complemented by the song’s background vocalizations. It’s an evil Death Metal composition with hints of classic Doom Metal to properly conclude the album, I might say.

All the violence and hatred blasted by Enthrallment in Against The Will To Live – Sky Burial can be fully appreciated on YouTube, but of course in order to show your support and admiration for underground Bulgarian metal you should purchase a copy of the album from the band’s own BandCamp page, as well as from the Rebirth the Metal Productions’ BandCamp page or Big Cartel. Also, don’t forget to follow the guys from Enthrallment on Facebook to stay up to date with all things surrounding such talented band. In a nutshell, Against The Will To Live – Sky Burial is the ultimate proof why those Bulgarian metallers are still alive after decades on the road, elevating the name of Death Metal in their homeland to a whole new level of destruction, aggression and obscurity.

Best moments of the album: Painting A Bloody Symphony, Sacrificial Euthanasia and Giving Alms To Birds.

Worst moments of the album: Divine Mandolins.

Released in 2021 Rebirth the Metal Productions

Track listing
1. Hollow Roots 4:37
2. Painting A Bloody Symphony 3:20
3. Surgical Masquarade 3:52
4. Divine Mandolins 3:47
5. Sacrificial Euthanasia 3:37
6. Hegemony Of The Weak 3:35
7. Giving Alms To Birds 3:47

Band members
Plamen Bakardzhiev – vocals
Vasil Furnigov – guitar
Nikola Ognyanov – guitar
Rumen Pavlov – bass
Ivo Ivanov – drums

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