CUTTING THE THROAT OF GOD

I covered Ulcerate's last album, 2020's Stare into Death and Be Still, and I liked it. I didn't revere it quite as much as many others, but it's a solid album overall. My thoughts on it haven't moved much since my original review. This trio's new release though, Cutting the Throat of God, takes the thundering, intelligent death metal of their last album and further refines it into something spectacular.

"To Flow Through Ashen Hearts" (the album's shortest cut at a mere 7:07) kicks things off with a melancholic, vaguely Eastern-tinged guitar line. The guitar has a wonderful, piercing quality to it that conveys an emotional weight. Oftentimes, I find myself bored by death metal acts' constant, down-tuned chugging that can lend an air of mushiness. Ulcerate, though, excel at being heavy as hell while also having clear melody. I love the way the band plays with dynamics, and different riffs and themes that interact with and complement one another.

The crushing power of this album continues on "The Dawn Is Hollow". Tangled guitar lines and deft, speedy drumming work in concert to foster a sense of controlled chaos. This energy is balanced against occasional slower passages which have hints of icy post-punk, resulting in a balanced, exciting dramatic arc.

"Further Opening the Wounds" strikes a mood somewhere between the prior two songs' openings. It's heavy, but at a relatively restrained pace. Once the vocals enter, the drumming cranks up a notch, and soon afterward, black metal-flavored riffs are propelling things along. The atmosphere on this cut is especially expansive, with the overlaid layers of guitar echoing out over unrelenting percussion.

Things calm down for the beginning of "Transfiguration In and Out of Worlds". The guitar has an eerie, jangling tone, and the drumming is restrained. As things get heavier and heavier, a steady, lurching rhythm emerges, and the drumming is unexpectedly jazzy. It's a bit disorienting, but in a fun and unexpected way.

"To See Death Just Once" bursts out of the gate with thundering fury. The drums are completely pummeling, and the guitar features strange, slightly dissonant intervals that do a lot to add to the oppressive, disorienting mood. The band repeatedly shifts between the types of blistering riffs which open this song and slower, more deliberate passages that meditate on foreboding moods.

The album's longest cut is the nine-and-a-half-minute "Undying as an Apparition". It continues in a vein similar to the song which preceded it, and it even bears a decent amount of structural similarity. Despite this continuity, the song doesn't feel superfluous or repetitive, and I'm struggling to verbalize why. Ulcerate excels at imbuing their music with massive amounts of heavy emotionality, and that comes through particularly well on this cut. The production is also fantastic. Everything comes through cleanly and clearly, but this is also about as far from "glossy" as you can get. That combination allows the band to dwell on similar ideas without the music coming off as samey.

Cutting the Throat of God ends on its title track. Its opening riff is striking, featuring some harshly-bent notes. These twists contrast against some (relatively) straightforward chugging riffage, and it all coalesces into a striking, powerful composition. Cascading arpeggi in this song's midsection evoke certain post-metal acts. This is a fitting capstone to the album.

Ulcerate have made a bold, dense, and engrossing record with Cutting the Throat of God. It doesn't feel nearly as long as it is, and the music is intelligent and passionate. They have reached new heights here, and it's clear why they are one of the most respected bands in the modern world of death metal.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2024/07/29/album-review-ulcerate-cutting-the-throat-of-god/