Review by Maverick on March 23, 2024.

Underoath's new legendary metalcore album impressed me, I don't mind their emo attempts at metal, but from a metal point of view - their emo stuff did stuck! There's alot that I can say about this new album, but one thing I definitely did notice was the absence of Aaron Gillepsie:

Firstly, there were no emo vocals, but rather progressive metalcore vocals, and Spencer's clean vocals which seems to act out calm didn't have the emo-ness anymore, there was emotion yes but not the self-pitying emo feel. That seemed to fit perfectly with the way he screamed, this new sound was different and after a few listens I started to love it.

Secondly, with regard to drumming I could hear a different form of percussion. It was that kind of "soft-agression" drumming, don't get me wrong their were times when I could hear heavy agression in these drumming patterns, but whenever the clean vocals came up I could still hear agressive drumming, but it wasn't in your face. Which brings me with the conclusion that Underoath was starting to enter a new stage of metalcore, not deathcore (heavens no!) but a clever and intelligent attempt at mathcore! The new drummer did bring along a mathcore sound coming from Norma Jean. I loved every second of it, this was definitely legend!

Third, the guitar wasn't that impressive sadly. It was filled with hard rock-ish riffs which really dissapointed me, this is where the drumming starting to make up for it. The album gripped me with the track "In Division" and left me calm with "Paper Lung" yet I was waiting for something more powerful and I was impressed after hearing "Illuminator" and "My Deteriorating Incline."

If you weren't impressed with "Define the Great Line" maybe this album will make up for it, I recommend it! It was really something awsome!

Rating: 7.8 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 10, 2020.

Nexul emerged from the darkest, dreariest and most dissonant regions of the underworld. Fully equipped with a conduct of its own, the beast set forth to apply its hand in the rhythmic movements and incantations of this thing we call black/death metal. 2013 spawned the first recording Nexulzifer, a demo that I still can't seem to find a copy of, this was merely a squirting of the venom awaiting the following release that arrived with the most dreaded ornaments of the ancients pronounced its dusking via the screeching claws of Paradigm of Chaos; a record that would go on to be one of my personal favorites within this modern genre of black/death metal. To this day, I can spin that gem and still feel like it's the first time hearing those outer-dimensional barks and howls. "LEVIATHAN, open your maw and lose your tail and let us blight this shell, we who shall open the Abyss!", still can't forget the beauty of that line. However, it's been some time since the void had been open, 2017's full length was near impeccable, yet it left many (myself included) wanting to hear more of what the Cthulhuean deity had been planning to broadcast.

Summoned to act upon the powers that rippled through the underground with Paradigm of Chaos in 2017, the EP is put into effect, furthering the studies of Nexul be this marked and scorned one, Scythed Wings of Poisonous Decay. A 9 track 36 minute long adventure through the guts of perdition. The pact with darkness strengthened and intensified, the serpent awoke again to provide both wonders and horrors, whether it be to those who foolishly deny or devoutly worship in its temple. What came under the sigil of infinity has returned on this latest venture by Nexul. And who would be handling this?, the feared and revered Iron Bonehead.

Chaos, uncertainty, omens and darkness taint and place a sore and sour upon the broken and damaged, the mortal shell left to experience the detrimental blow of extinguishing strings, pulverizing thuds of the kit and a monolith like, swollen and sonorous vocal delivery. 'Thy Terror' provides the background setting for the condemnation that awaits, and from there onward, the beast hisseth and slithers-forth with the tongues of temptation and execration. 'Reflecting in Glaring Eyes' emits a far more vicious vocal and instrumental interpretation of the philosophy of these Texans. Wondrous I tell you, that this same band would be able to top their past crimes with a bellowing howl. Still managing with needle eye precision to steer clamor to a place where it can make sense. Threading onward to 'Partitioned by Severity' to 'He that Takes the Soul', you quickly understand that Nexul don't just make this music because they like, those hands that caress the whore and partake in the sermons of Hellvetron and Nyogthaeblisz have a mission to fulfill. Impossible to mask something this hideous with 'Partioned by Severity' or 'T.M.I.P.L' exhibiting the band's ugliness with such pride, yet there is beauty that beholds the blind.

Chaos is the spice of life, and Nexul gets that, thus it seems the sect of desecration put their blades to work in reworking and carving out modified versions of their demo Nexulzifer that was put out in 2013. So now in a sense you do get to have their debut on vinyl even though it's not the original recordings. But fear not, no damage was done to the corruption exalted, all three tracks foot a disciplined path, just with a bit more definition with regards to the impact of their steps.

Where to next? Follow the scaly serpent scented rank.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Alex on November 10, 2020.

Nexul emerged from the darkest, dreariest and most dissonant regions of the underworld. Fully equipped with a conduct of its own, the beast set forth to apply its hand in the rhythmic movements and incantations of this thing we call black/death metal. 2013 spawned the first recording Nexulzifer, a demo that I still can't seem to find a copy of, this was merely a squirting of the venom awaiting the following release that arrived with the most dreaded ornaments of the ancients pronounced its dusking via the screeching claws of Paradigm of Chaos; a record that would go on to be one of my personal favorites within this modern genre of black/death metal. To this day, I can spin that gem and still feel like it's the first time hearing those outer-dimensional barks and howls. "LEVIATHAN, open your maw and lose your tail and let us blight this shell, we who shall open the Abyss!", still can't forget the beauty of that line. However, it's been some time since the void had been open, 2017's full length was near impeccable, yet it left many (myself included) wanting to hear more of what the Cthulhuean deity had been planning to broadcast.

Summoned to act upon the powers that rippled through the underground with Paradigm of Chaos in 2017, the EP is put into effect, furthering the studies of Nexul be this marked and scorned one, Scythed Wings of Poisonous Decay. A 9 track 36 minute long adventure through the guts of perdition. The pact with darkness strengthened and intensified, the serpent awoke again to provide both wonders and horrors, whether it be to those who foolishly deny or devoutly worship in its temple. What came under the sigil of infinity has returned on this latest venture by Nexul. And who would be handling this?, the feared and revered Iron Bonehead.

Chaos, uncertainty, omens and darkness taint and place a sore and sour upon the broken and damaged, the mortal shell left to experience the detrimental blow of extinguishing strings, pulverizing thuds of the kit and a monolith like, swollen and sonorous vocal delivery. 'Thy Terror' provides the background setting for the condemnation that awaits, and from there onward, the beast hisseth and slithers-forth with the tongues of temptation and execration. 'Reflecting in Glaring Eyes' emits a far more vicious vocal and instrumental interpretation of the philosophy of these Texans. Wondrous I tell you, that this same band would be able to top their past crimes with a bellowing howl. Still managing with needle eye precision to steer clamor to a place where it can make sense. Threading onward to 'Partitioned by Severity' to 'He that Takes the Soul', you quickly understand that Nexul don't just make this music because they like, those hands that caress the whore and partake in the sermons of Hellvetron and Nyogthaeblisz have a mission to fulfill. Impossible to mask something this hideous with 'Partioned by Severity' or 'T.M.I.P.L' exhibiting the band's ugliness with such pride, yet there is beauty that beholds the blind.

Chaos is the spice of life, and Nexul gets that, thus it seems the sect of desecration put their blades to work in reworking and carving out modified versions of their demo Nexulzifer that was put out in 2013. So now in a sense you do get to have their debut on vinyl even though it's not the original recordings. But fear not, no damage was done to the corruption exalted, all three tracks foot a disciplined path, just with a bit more definition with regards to the impact of their steps.

Where to next? Follow the scaly serpent scented rank.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10

Review by Elijah on February 19, 2022.

If this isn't the best grindcore album ever, I don't know what the hell is. I've been in love with Napalm Death's almighty second effort From Enslavement To Obliteration since the minute I first heard it. I like most Napalm Death albums, but this one is definitely my favorite. Scum will never ever amount to this. Enslavement is far too superior.

The main reason why this is such a fantastic release is because of it's sound and structure, it's flawless. The drums sound amazing, the snare is thick and has such a great sound to it. Same thing goes for the kick drum. I really appreciate the drums' sound on this, whoever is responsible for making them sound the way they do, thank you so much because it's so PERFECT. The drumming itself is furious, fast, and rambunctious as hell. On some parts he slows down, or plays a mid paced-fast pocket beat, or blast beats the fuck out of your eardrums. Mick Harris' drumming is absolutely relentless, and I appreciate that he throws in more stuff in his playing, than just blast beats over and over, to give a little bit of variety to this grindcore album. Most noticeably in the opening track, there's no furious grindcore drumming just yet, he slows down for a little and feels the groove before releasing the beast on 'It's A M.A.N.S. World'.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't care for this at all if the drums sounded any different. That factor alone is what makes this album so magnificent. But obviously that can't be the ONLY reason why I love it. The guitars are similar to the drums, also having such a thick and rich sound that sounds fantastic. The drums and guitar work in perfect harmony together, such a fantastic mixture. The riffs themselves are also quite a treat. This may be a grindcore album, but the riffs are most definitely differentiable, and you can tell which song is which. Songs like 'It's A M.A.N.S. World' and the title track are some prime examples, you know which riff/song is which. Grindcore is a genre where most of the songs are under a minute and most of them sound indistinguishable, and the great thing about From Enslavement To Obliteration is that they ingrain every separate track into your brain no matter the length, so this serves as a more memorable "grindcore" album overall. You know the songs one from another, rather than knowing just the album overall, if that makes any sense.

Lee Dorian's vocal work is quite the thing as well. He can do some ridiculous and nasty screams, growls, shouting, you name it. This man truly is a beast behind the microphone, he can spit out some good shit. Even though he was only present on two of the band's full lengths, he still did a great job and is still loved by fans. Scum is still popular among listeners these days, as well as Enslavement, but more Scum, as it's more monumental. Shane's bass is incredible. It's your trademark static and very fuzzy sounding bass, but the man knows how to put it in it's place. Enslavement is an album filled to the brim with bass and a thick sound, and Shane's bass does nothing but make it sound even better. Parts where fast playing suddenly stops and the bass shines alone for a few seconds, or when a song starts off with the fuzzy bass for a few seconds, they're so great, it's a big time giant eargasm and couldn't be any better. I'm also a pretty big fan of the cover art, I think the colors they used are awesome. I like the nice shade of indigo along with the orange logo, with gray+black+white surrounding images that have some sort of deep meaning. Whoever pieced this together did it greatly, it's some eye candy; and it also fits very well with the music.

In my eyes, this album is very flawless and nothing short of perfect. This is the ideal Napalm Death release. A good amount of people prefer the more raw and frazzled sound of Scum, but I much more prefer the matured, improved, thick, and more thought-out sound of From Enslavement To Obliteration. Like I said before, the drums are the BEST THING about this album, enough said. If the drums sounded any different, this wouldn't be as magnificent as it is. It's the key thing that makes Enslavement perfect!!! Fantastic drums overall, awesome guitar sound, amazing bass, good songs that aren't too random and thrown all over the place, vocals with some variety, some pretty damn good cover art, I don't understand what isn't to love about From Enslavement To Obliteration. I enjoy the whole thing whenever I listen to it, it always makes me happy whenever I put it on. It's PERFECT and always will be forever. This is for sure the best thing ND has ever done. Undoubtedly one of my all time favorite albums.

Rating: Absolutely magnificent, a well deserved 10 out of 10.