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Encoffination > Temples Descend Below the Earth > Reviews
Encoffination - Temples Descend Below the Earth

Stuck inside a torturous chasm of occult insanity - 75%

Leechmaster, June 10th, 2010

The unholy matrimony of death and doom; the tightrope act between slow, trudging tempos, dark, sombre atmosphere and the destructive force of hammering percussion and guttural verbal assaults; the perfect balance between two of the greatest forms of metal ever created. When done right, it’s a combination that’s almost unbeatable, as the likes of Incantation and Autopsy, along with other progenitors of the genre have proven with masterpieces like Mental Funeral and Mortal Throne of Nazarene. So, how does this latest tribute fare against the recent wave of bands paying homage to the death/doom old guard?

Well, for a debut EP, Encoffination’s Temples Descend Below the Earth is definitively a promising effort, making for an engaging couple of minutes of raw, very archaic sounding death/doom. There are only 3 tracks, and the opening one is just a minute-long atmospheric composition, but holy shit does it deliver. Opening with a dark, contorted haze of cryptic, ancient chanting and an underlying layer of hellish fuzz that sounds as if it’s creeping up from the unholy throat of the abyss, you are immediately enveloped inside this torturous cavern of occult insanity. The chilling echo of the tubular bells is also unspeakably evil sounding, and it’s honestly as if the song itself was recorded while a sacrifice took place beside a putrid, moss-laden altar it’s that petrifying.

The following tracks are also to a similar effect, with vocalist Ghoat sounding like he’s reciting the lyrics off an ancient stone tablet or relic. Unfortunately, the lyrics themselves aren’t particularly noteworthy, however, his deep, malicious, Craig Pillard-influenced growls are pretty impressive, despite the lack of variation. Instrumentally, the music is clearly inspired by Incantation in a big way too, jerking you back and forth between down-tempo gushes of foreboding doom riffing and faster tremolo picked phrases, driven by the steadied power of the drums and bass. Sticking to very basic fills and beats though, Elektrokutioner’s drumming is pretty one-dimensional, but at least it gets the job done well enough.

As a whole, it’s definitely not the most original thing you’ll ever hear either, but what it lacks in originality, certainly makes up for in twisted, occult atmosphere. These guys ability to procreate such morbidly evil music is definitely going to keep me on the look out for their material in the future, along with the promising samples I’ve heard taken from their recently released full-length album, Ritual Ascension Beyond Flesh. However, as it’s limited to relatively few copies, you might have a bit of difficulty getting your hands on a physical copy of Temples Descend Below the Earth, but certainly don’t hesitate to download this solid little EP, in all its ungodly glory.