When a band releases their debut full-length on one of the most notable Black Metal record labels, you can assume that it is a good to very good album. And in fact, DEATH LIKE MASS, who presented the first release in 2015 in the form of an EP (which was followed by two EPs) have quite rightly arrived at Terratur Possessions. Unsurprisingly the trio from Poland plays Black Metal, but there are certain aspects that set “The Lord Of The Flies” apart from the rest of the bands in this genre. First of all, the singing, which is not actually singing in its true sense. It is more of a kind of grim, menacing snarling hiss, more spoken than sung. Sometimes aggressive, sometimes mocking, sometimes evil to the core, sometimes theatrical declaiming. Feels like 1994, when MAYHEM released “De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas” with the outstanding vocal performance of Attila Csihar. But the band also has a lot to offer musically. On the one hand, they master the classical Black Metal repertoire at a high level. Though the biggest surprise for me are the riffs and guitar solos, which enfold their full force in the mid-tempo passages. They remind, at least to me, of early MORBID ANGEL. The frequent and sudden changes in tempo and the double bass drumming support this impression. Another plus point is the very sparing use of stylistic devices that deviate from classic instrumentation. But DEATH LIKE MASS always remain varied and impressively demonstrate that you do not need minute-long keyboard passages or medieval instruments to achieve variety. When the harsh cold north teams up with swirling chaos from the burnig south, you can not help but give it a listen by visiting https://deathlikemass.bandcamp.com and www.facebook.com/terraturpossessions