In my own belief, and I’m sure for much of the Metal Underground, you must readily admit that South America produces a substantial amount of quality and prolific bands. Be it Brazil, Argentina, Chile, or the rest of the region, there is a wide and varied dynamic happening. Be it the weather, the politics, or just the sheer diversity of the people and their own perspective nations, make for many genre-breaking and standard-setting bands. The list that has burst forth from this hot spot is endless. No reason for me to name the obvious stalwarts to the scene, because if you are reading this now, you already know who, and if not, well, I’m sorry turn in your badge of Metal Allegiance, also your denim patch ridden jacket, while you are at it and just go to your local Starbucks and listen to their playlists and CD offerings there. There is such a wide variety and such a spectrum of sound and approaches that, for the most part, you can find a band that fits anything in your musical niche. One band looking to make its mark on the scene, hailing from Chile, is ORACULUM. The band takes a pronounced, epic, darker route, with moodier atmospheric elements coming through in the songwriting. Think of more grandiose AUTOPSY with elements of ULCERATE and IMMOLATION. The cover art alone should give a bit of an indication of what you are about to embark upon when listening to this 40-minute release from Invictus Productions. I mention the label, because they tend to lean towards bands that have a slightly different approach to their style. SEPULCRE, GRAVE INFESTATION, COSCRADH, to name a few, and all of which share a passing theme and sonic approach. ORACULUM is not just your typical meat & potatoes Death Metal. Think of it as getting some extra meat on your cut, and some added Béarnaise Sauce to enhance your auditory flavor. While the band does offer a bit more for you to delve into, sonically, there is still a slight underground, sort of demo-ish sound quality to their material. Everything has a mild, sort of flat sound. Please do not take this as a putdown. I think most people would generally expect a big, warm production to go with the bands’ obviously more “thinking man’s” approach to Death Metal. I, for one, appreciate this sound in the production. It harkens to the savagery of some of their brethren, and it makes the band more reliant on creating atmosphere purely through instrumentation and not having to rely overly so on orchestration or added keyboard dynamics. Not much to complain about on this release from the band, with this being their debut full-length after a few EPs and singles. I feel the band has hit the mark on the onset and has plenty of time to grow further and create an even more stunning affair in the future. Take the time and check them out. Information follows. www.facebook.com/oraculum.chile, www.facebook.com/invictusproductions