As the name implies, “4 Doors To Death” is
a 4-way death metal split album featuring a number of bands from Unspeakable
Axe Records. This release hearkens back to a time where split albums where more
than just 2 bands smashing together a couple of demos, and instead offers a
full-length release with a coherent sound, yet distinct styles. “4 Doors To
Death” is aided by the fact that each band has their own unique nuances in the
production, so you can tell when moving from one door to the next, yet it
doesn’t feel like a jarring change.
Cemetery
Filth
The first door on this album belongs to
Cemetery Filth. Their 3 tracks serve as an excellent example of the band’s
sound: rotten, murky, downtuned death metal goodness. A lot of their riffs also
sound reminiscent of early Morbid Angel, as they’ve got a slightly sideways
approach to songwriting. The band isn’t afraid to slow things down to create
ominous sounding riffs that provide the majority of melody on the record (as
they do in the opener “Consumption of Volition”, as well as the brooding solo
that kicks off “Dagonian Dialect… The Obelisk Unearthed”). This contrast with
the faster, more muddled sound gives off a feeling of controlled chaos.
Cemetery Filth provide some dastardly riffing, but do so with incredible
precision. It is difficult to imagine a better start to this split than
Cemetery Filth’s offering.
Ectovoid
Ectovoid is the only of the 4 bands on this
release that I admittedly was not familiar with prior to this album. With only two
tracks, the band has less of a chance to make their mark, and unfortunately
they don’t quite pull it off. Relative to Cemetery Filth’s wild, but tight
approach, Ectovoid leans more towards being noisy. Good riffs exist, but are
shrouded by loud drums (particularly the cymbals), and fuzzy guitars. The
songwriting feels less deliberate, and tends to blur together. This is
particularly evident when the band’s drummer makes use of blastbeats, where it
is almost impossible to pick out what is going on. The unfortunate part about
this door is that when you really focus and try to block out the drums, there’s
a lot to like here. With better production, Ectovoid would definitely be up to
par with the other 3 bands on this release. This is particularly evident in the
second half of “Possessed By Ancient Dread” were the band locks into a chugging
riff that is sure to cause some neck pain.
Sabbatory
The only Canadian band on this split is
Sabbatory, who put forth an amazing album last year. Fans of that album will be
happy to know that the band’s production on “4 Doors To Death” is quite
similar, as it still features that awesome crackly snare that made their debut
stand out. They also still have a huge punk feel that is driven by the
drumming. The remainder of the music is nothing foreign to death metal:
tremolo-picked riffs, growling vocals, and an overall monolithic wall of sound.
Nevertheless, the band manages to come up with some unique riffs that
distinctly sound like Sabbatory. Even as someone who is by no means a
connoisseur of death metal, this is a band always that sticks out in a good way
within 30 seconds of hearing them.
Trenchrot
The final door to enter belongs to
Trenchrot. Relative to their 3 peers on this release, Trenchrot is the band
most responsible for bringing the doom. While Cemetery Filth and Ectovoid had a
few slow sections, it is Trenchrot that makes them the most crushing. From the
opening seconds of their part of the split, Trenchrot hurls you into a colossal
dissonant world. “Hell Pilot’s Call” eventually transforms into a song with a
cold, marching beat to it. Of the 4 bands on this release, Trenchrot is by far
the most unique, largely because their sound is a lot cleaner (by death metal
standards) and more mechanical sounding than the other bands’. Despite their
tendency towards doomy sections, Trenchrot proves they can play just as fast as
everyone else with the closing track, a cover of Death’s “Evil Dead”. Similarly,
the majority of “Powerful Kandarian Steel” is speedier than the first track the
band presented.
“4 Doors To Death” is a really fun listen
because it feels like it exists for a purpose. In an age where bands only
collaborate to reach a slightly bigger audience, this release feels like a
celebration of modern death metal (not to mention a great label), as it takes bands
with slightly different twists on the subgenre, and puts them onto one release.
It certainly has its ups and downs, but all 4 doors have something to offer,
and for that reason, it is an essential purchase for death metal maniacs!
Be sure to check out and like Cemetery Filth, Ectovoid, Sabbatory, and Trenchrot on Facebook!
Highlights
"Consumption of Volition"
"Ascention To My Holy Tomb"
"Hell Pilot's Call"
"Evil Dead"
Final Rating
4.25/5 or 85%.
