Zealotry – At The Nexus of All Still Born Worlds

Boston’s Zealotry are once again a band I’m premiering with. They first hit the hard core gloom Death Metal scene in 2013 with their first full length album ‘The Charnel Expanse’, which was followed by ‘The Last Witness’ in 2016.

This latest effort offers us some serious speed changes, doom riffs, synths with hell-like and hymn-style atmospheric tunes that send shivers down your spine.

After the haunting opener ‘At the Nexus Of All Stillborn Worlds’ which hits us with a wall of noise, speed and all sorts of goings on, comes ‘Accursed’. An eerie and haunting synth-based prologue which then introduces us to ‘Lethe’s Shroud’. This takes me back to the late 80’s and Morbid Angel. Lots going on in this song and you can clearly hear each instrument as a separate entity. I like this in an album as it gives it a ‘Live’ feel to it, like it’s been recorded in one take.

It’s clear that Zealotry don’t play traditional Death Metal. This is evident when there is a solo within a song. It’s more a wall of noise that sits perfectly within each song than a traditional solo. Strangely enough I have found so far with this album that all songs sound (if you listen to it from a different angle) like they’ve been thrown together. But they work. All of them.

‘The Hole’ is almost 6 minutes of intensity which when eventually comes to an end, makes you breathe a sigh of relief. Brilliant stuff. Temin’s vocals seem to get more deeper and haunting the more this album goes on, as demonstrated in ‘Universal Deceit’, another intense number which makes you grip your armchair handles as if you were riding a rollercoaster.

The intro to ‘The Sky Bleeds Nightmares’ may well indeed give you nightmares. A haunting church-like intro with bells and synths and haunting angel voices. Temin’s vocals are monstrous on this. They almost sound as he has a demon screaming alongside him. A doppelganger if you will.

The 11 minute finale of ‘Irredeemable’ is everything you’d expect from such a lengthy song. Atmospheric, dark, speed changes, intensity, it’s all in this album closer. Each section has something different to offer in it’s unique, technical way.

Death Metal isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but Zealotry show here that Death Metal can be technically superb.

Tracklisting:

1 – At The Nexus Of All Stillborn Worlds

2 – Accursed

3 – Lethe’s Shroud

4 – Primus Venatoris

5 – The Hole

6 – Universal Deceit

7 – The Sky Bleeds Nightmares

8 – Irredeemable

Band Members:

Jake Himelfarb – Rhythm Guitars

R.M.Temin – Vocals

Phil Tougas – Lead / Rhythm Guitars / Backing Vocals

Alex Zalatan – Drums