Review by Greg on February 6, 2024.

Begravement is the latest, and ostensibly most serious, project by estimated fellow MA user Ezra Blumenfeld. Since I'm considered young by common sense, and yet I'm still 6 years older than the eldest member of the here examined band, I can't help but speak like a man in his fifties and say that it's always nice and refreshing to see young blood delve into extreme metal in 2021 A.D., nothing less. But I better cut short the boomer-isms right here and start introducing their newest EP Conjuring the Necromancer.

On a surface level, Begravement's formula is a take on that death/thrash hybrid which was arguably mastered by Merciless, Repugnant and the criminally overlooked, contemporary Chileans Ripper. Yet, the enthusiasm only teenagers can have means that they don't want to rest on their laurels too much, and they constantly try to spice things up offering plenty of instrumental solutions, melodic twists and wannabe-progressive moments which, I'm sure, are likely to occupy more and more space in the future. The band even labels itself 'technical death' but, thankfully, they're more interested in the pioneering '90s sound than in the sterile (and saturated) post-2000 tech-death scene.

So, an old-school sound, old-school like the somewhat cheesy, but fitting, synths/bells intro with simulated vinyl scratches and whatnot. It gives way to a midpaced riff which is the perfect setup for the inevitable buildup of the straightforward opener, without a doubt the most apt song to kickstart Conjuring the Necromancer. It features the catchiest chorus, some glimpses and teases of the most elaborate moments which will be found in subsequent tracks and, in a quite audacious move, all of the four(!) guest vocalists on the EP; and while this last choice can seem (and sound) quite confusing, there's at least one thing we can all be sure after this track: these lads have chops, personality, and remarkably sized attributes. Each track here lasts for about five minutes, and while at this early stage you have to expect some trimmable fat (my picks would be 'Destroying Angel''s slightly overlong ending or the... overabundant word count of 'Opaque Malevolence'), the songwriting has already a clear vision of what it wants to be. You can clearly tell these young guys spent a good chunk of the various lockdowns refining these six compositions, even if I felt that the first half ended up being the most convincing.

Yes, all the members put their soul into their performances and more, considering that they also share lead guitar duties (yep, drummer included), never giving the impression of someone going beyond his capabilities. My personal favourite solo was undoubtedly the finale of 'Death-Obsessed': its pace change brought a genuine, if unexpected, grin to my face... but there are other brilliant moments as well. The EP production is also more than acceptable, and I sincerely hope they won't get too much old-school, in this aspect, on an eventual full-length, since that would mean sacrificing all those little tweaks and variations in the sound which would get inevitably lost in a muddier mix.

As far as Ezra's vocal work goes, taking a guess at his main sources of inspiration (or mere similarities), I would say that, on top of a pretty expectable (for the genre) raspy growl, he sometimes nails that early Martin van Drunen gravelly howl (think of a less mature version of him), with a dose of L-G Petrov for the occasional shrieks. Granted, there's a bit too much fluctuation in intensity for such illustrious comparisons, especially during extended vocal passages like in 'Opaque Malevolence', but again, it's quite a venial sin in this phase of their career. The title-track features also a snippet of, gasp, clean vocals, which plausibly betray the year in which Begravement operate, but work nicely to build a somewhat 'emotional' bridge.

All things considered, a release like Conjuring the Necromancer is unquestionably a success in the growth process of an emerging band. I haven't checked Ezra's other main band Pyreworks, but I'll surely follow Begravement more closely from now on – they tick all the right boxes to become a real menacing force in the near future.

Rating: 7.2 out of 10

Review by Alex Grindor on April 4, 2021.

Spawned from Minnesota, Begravement made their debut some months ago with the release of Conjuring The Necromancer, a 6-track EP that has shown a lot of potential from this young group, as well as a proper homage to the classics of old.

With a brief sinister intro we are introduced to 'To the Grave'. Begravement's style is rooted in death/thrash, yet still they manage to incorporate technical, progressive and sometimes avant-garde elements into their songwriting, with each track having a distinctive identity on their own yet complementing each other as a whole cohesive record. This song in particular features 6 guest vocalists, who take command of track's vocals along with the band's main vocalist. 'To the Grave' feels like a classic death/thrash track, while it's follow-up 'Destroying Angel' is a bit more mid-paced and more straight-forward in its delivery, with the track being a feast of fantastic guitar solos.

From here though, everything goes up in intensity as the next track hit you in the face. 'Death-Obsessed' is a great old-school death metal track that could've easily been recorded in the late 80's, with a step-up in speed and overall intensity with perfectly executed leads thrown around. Next, we have 'Opaque Malevolence', the most dissonant, abrassive track of the entire record, with pummeling drums and twisted guitar riffs that may remind you of early Gorguts. 'Conjuring The Necromancer' stays on the opossite side, having marvelous scales and melodies throughout while featuring a brief theremin section and some short choirs for atmosphere. And finally we close with 'Obliterate The Convent', a more straight-forward death metal track than the previous ones, ending with a keyboard fade-out that some may find very familiar...

Music-wise, the band has tackled every corner of the death metal spectrum in here. Whether you like a more classic approach, a more tech-death feat or prefer the dissonant sound, this EP has you covered. Ezra's vocals may be a bit rough and could improve, but he is a very competent guitar player and it is evident that he has improved a lot since his solo project and it complements well with Owen's solos, who is a great player as well and also in charge of the drums. Matt provides backing vocals and bass, and his work is great as well, with his instrument adding that much needed weight on top of the music, while also having its brief shining moments.

Production-wise however, I have some discrepancies. First of all, the guest vocalists could've been better used if shown in different tracks rather than doing a one-off and never return, and some of them are mixed a bit lower than the others making it inconsistent in their presence. Second, the mix is a bit off, with the guitars feeling a bit too "far back" than the rest of the instruments while the vocals have a more of louder and closer sound. Last but not least, it feels to me that the tracks were longer than they should be, the average length being around 5 minutes. The repetitive nature of the tracks makes this more noticeable and (personally) the tracks could've been more compact and still showcase the band's musical abilities without overstretching it for too long.

Overall, it is a great display of prowess and passion for death/thrash metal in all its ways. It may be repetitive at moments and a bit longer than it should (and in need of some improvements), but if you give it a chance you will most than surely enjoy what Begravement has for you.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Sam on January 25, 2026.

What an album intro! This is, at times, what I love most about OSDM. Classic records such as this or Deicide’s "Legion" with its iconic chorus of braying lambs, or "Slowly We Rot’s" ethereality emanating straight from the Floridian sewers from whence it was conceived set the stage so lovingly for the slaughter to ensue. Here we have the timeless tides of the eternal ocean, ushering in the first and title track, 'Piece Of Time', by the evolutionary Atheist.

When it comes to Atheist, the term that is often tossed about to describe them is “jazz metal”. I’m not so sure I hear jazz in this work (that would be more pronounced on subsequent releases) as much as I hear Megadeth’s first couple of albums, filtered through the sensibilities of some incredibly apt pupils. Who even knows if the guys in Atheist listened to jazz? I kinda doubt it. I think they were just big fans of Slayer and Megadeth who happened to be even more talented than those respective players. I mean, I guess you can say jazz because these cats are a bit flamboyant and very busy wielding their high-powered chops. However, a much more likely vision of Atheist in 1988 is of them sitting around listening to Rush records, not Weather Report.

The aforementioned chops are showcased from the get-go, with the jagged precision riffs of mad surgeons and the vivid voice of Roger Patterson’s (RIP) bass singing out deliciously. And let’s not forget the loquaciously expressive Steve Flynn behind the kit. Dude’s admiration for the The Professor is apparent, and a joy to behold. The snare ghost notes are everywhere, along with intricate hi-hat and ride patterns, adventurous and cascading fills; couple all of that with an aggressive and well-balanced double bass attack, and you’re left with a rather breathtaking performance. I have to specifically shout out the triplet pattern used in the verse drum riff of 'On They Slay', because I spent many hours as a young drummer inspired and attempting to perfect that technique so gloriously demonstrated by Steve Flynn.

Obviously, Atheist were a technically proficient band plying their thrash-inspired metal prowess in new and previously unexplored ways, but I will suggest it was their guitar playing that probably first drew the application of the adjective “technical” to describe them. Kelly Schaefer and Rand Burkey formed a formidable duo of ax-wielders, both of them left-handed, which I’m not sure has occurred again in death metal ever since, certainly not before. I’m no guitar player, and I generally prefer a more downtuned tone for the instrument, but these guys shine with their exactitude in standard E tuning. Could be E flat, again, I don’t play, and I’m definitely too lazy to try and find out for sure. Where Atheist excels as an ensemble is with their creative application of dynamics to songwriting, such as tempo and time signature changes, which, for such young and bold musicians, are generally executed dexterously and without flaw, rarely jarring to the listener.

Ahhh… With album closer 'No Truth', we are treated to yet another indulgent introduction of yore with a providential synthesizer choir of angels giving way to the eloquence of a lightly picked clean guitar, which is then smashed to bits by the rage and intensity of this fearsome foursome. Lyrically, Schaefer adopts the philosophical bent that would become commonplace in technical death metal in the years following this release. “I see our music scares you. Can’t you see that!?!” demands young Kelly in his sandpapery rasp. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be purveyors of such a freaky and shockingly new form of music at its time of birth. Atheist actually went on tour with fucking Candlemass back in the day. This, to me, is an unthinkable pairing that can only be described as counterintuitive. It was indeed an experience that familiarized the dudes with categorizing audiences as “closed-minded.”

Atheist were originally called R.A.V.A.G.E. This stood for Raging Atheist Vowing A Gory End. There were already other Ravages in existence, so I’m glad they went with, simply, Atheist. For a moniker, this is a succinct statement. It’s cutting and direct to the point, just like naming your band Death or Deicide. This statement is simple yet effective: Beware.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by chrisc7249 on January 24, 2023.

When it comes to all forms of technical and progressive death metal, from the spastic brutality of a modern day Archspire or the warm, clean sounds of Descent, these two very differing sounds can all harken back to one pioneering prog/tech death band - their name? Atheist.

Yes, formerly known as R.A.V.A.G.E. in the early to mid 1980s, Atheist is widely accepted to be the first band to blend progressive rock influences with the brutality of death metal. They aren't the first metal band to do so; Watchtower, Coroner and Voivod to name a few got headstarts in the mid 80s, albeit blending the prog elements with more heavy/thrash metal.

This here in 1989 is their debut album, Piece of Time and on it slays indeed. It is a very musically impressive, warping mass of riffs, solos and drum fills that beats the listener down with thrash-like intensity. It is, despite its technicality, extremely abrasive. Tech/prog death bands tend to let their complexity diminish the ferocity of their music a lot. This has always been what makes Atheist my favorite; that rage, that fury, that aggressive passion that comes with early death/thrash is on full display on their first two records, both a magnificent combination of bounce, brutality and virtuosity. I'd say Piece of Time is definitely more unhinged and raw when compared to Unquestionable Presence, but it doesn't deter really any from the listening experience - it is its own beast, and really shouldn't be compared to the next album.

Honestly, if you just enjoy thrash or death metal, there isn't any reason you wouldn't enjoy this album. It's surely technical, and would throw a more casual listener for a few twists and turns, but it's definitely far from inaccessible, and that's what makes it so good. It's raw, simple and it just works well for what it is. It's tech death in its most caveman form.

I'd say most, if not, ALL, death metal fans should listen to Atheist, they grew up in the same place, knew the same guys and even INSPIRED Death. So… yeah. They're one of the top 5 most important death metal bands ever and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you haven't heard either of their opuses. Of course the second one is my favorite album of all time, but that's for another day. Their third album is a step down in quality, unfortunately not because of circumstances the band really had much control over, but it is what it is. They split up, reformed and put out an album in 2010 which… no.

FFO: Death, Cynic, Hellwitch

Favorite song: I Deny

Rating: 9 out of 10