Review by Fernando on September 27, 2025.

I have often said that US black metal is a varied, if scattershot phenomenon, mainly because throughout the years American black metal bands have had a variety of styles and sounds with no definitive single style, which has produced wildly diverse and varied bands with distinct and unique sounds. Still, it also makes the country too malleable with a glut of copyists flooding the market. Nevertheless, despite there being such a wide range of styles for US bands to choose from, one thing that’s an undisputed fact is that the sound of early USBM which was created by Profanatica, Von, Demoncy and Goatlord was very indebted to early death metal, and many bands from both that early period and in the present strive to keep that sound, as is the case with Cruentation and their debut LP, Damned Fallen Angels, released through Iron Bonehead Productions.

Hailing from Massachusetts and featuring members from bands such as Cemetery Lights, Witch Tomb, Embryonic Cryptopathia and the defunct Martyrvore, Cruentation is a black/death metal band that keeps true to the sound of early USBM and evil death metal, which is a cacophonous display of brutal guitar riffs, violently abrupt tempo changes, cavernous production and odious growls which spew hateful bile against the divine. The band features all the best qualities of quality US black/death and then some. However, given the pedigree of the bands its members are or were a part of, it's not surprising that as Cruentation they stick the landing.

The band’s chosen style is, of course, indebted to early USBM, as well as late 80s and early 90s American death metal and Finnish black metal, and the band does a good job at blending brutality with atmosphere without ever letting up the intensity, be it in blast beats or doom-laden breakdowns. The band’s greatest strength is in their chemistry; none of the instruments and performances overshadow each other, and the production does an excellent job at keeping a well-balanced sound despite the absolutely crushing music.

That being said, the major highlight is the strings, the guitars, and the bass, not only carry the songs but stand out the most thanks to the band’s overwhelming discordant tone; the guitars have that very distinct distorted crunch of early death metal and do an excellent job at using it for both the faster parts and the slower parts. However, the drumming and the vocals are not neglected; everything just works and clicks, and the sound comes together because the entire band is giving their all.

To close off, I already mentioned the band’s excellent production, which is very much in line with classic USBM and evil death metal, very powerful sounding but not grating, the instruments and vocals overwhelm the listener, but they’re still discernible and accounted for without the mixing burying any of them. But the absolute best part is the songwriting. Cruentation packs a blunt punch is a small package, despite just clocking at 30 minutes, the whole album is very substantial and keeps a consistent pace and quality without rushing at all.

Overall, for a debut album, Cruentation certainly gives an astounding first impression. The record has all the hallmarks of classic extreme metal without any artifice or reliance on past convention; it sounds timeless and vital, and leaves you wanting more.

Rating: 9 out of 10