As Death Metal evolves, there are always hidden gems in the modern scene that refuse to evolve with the overall genre, opting instead to adhere to the ethos of the old school. While these gems are few and far between, even fewer really nail the formula well enough to mention. CORRUPTER, and their newest offering “Gloria In Profundis”, adhere to the old school the same way a snake would coil around its prey. Smothering, dark and twisted Death Metal that firmly plants its flag in the early 1990s scene. What makes this all the more impressive is that CORRUPTER wrote this record as a duo of J and M, with J on bass, and M on vocals, guitars, and drums. ‘Eucharist’ opens with a reverb-drench single-note tremolo line that expands like an atomic bomb into a full-fledged meat grinder of a track. Twisting passages of pummeling blast beats merge with slower funeral dirge-style riffing. One can think of INCANTATION and IMMOLATION in this particular style and execution. ‘Permanent Storage Down Below’ is another monster track of mincing, revolting Death Metal, always delivered with a sinister, brooding, dark edge, while tracks like ‘Heading For Afterlife’ invoke the wild and feral early KRISIUN, with aggressive blast beat drumming mixed with single-bar repetitive riffing. The title track opens with pounding drums and a minimalist chord pattern that picks up and expands as the song progresses, like many of the previous tracks, the furious tempo is often offset with slower doom-laden passages that ring with dreary distortion and fuzz-drenched bass. In a rare showing of melody and vocal change, the latter half of the song is a death march into the grave, with a mid-tempo that entrances the listener until its completion. ‘In The Maze Of Malebolge’ features a toxic stew of long, drawn out single-note melody fitted to a massive sounding chord progression before evolving into vocal pattern changes and a dreary single-note melody with a lot of long bends. The tempo dramatically increases from this point forward into a violent storm of percussion, grinding guitar work, and ugly guttural vocals. Overall, “Gloria In Profundis” is a powerhouse example of the 2020’s Death Metal going back in time and really laying into the 1990’s sonic profile. There are no blazing ultra-technical leads and licks, no slick studio overproduction and no room to breathe. Just pure dark Death Metal, delivered in a manner which would have made the genre proud had it been released alongside the glory days of ANGELCORPSE, INCANTATION and MORBID ANGEL. CORRUPTER excelled here as a duo and have ushered forth a worthy Death Metal release that should make the French scene proud. For more info on CORRUPTER, check out https://corrupter.bandcamp.com and for more information on Godz Ov War Productions, see www.facebook.com/godzovwarproductions