Spanish Death Metal label Memento Mori has just released US based THAUMATURGY’s second album “Pestilential Hymns” in CD format. From my investigations on Metal Archives, and also from Memento Mori’s signing announcement, I deduced that the band is actually a one man project, still their social media posts promoting this new album include a picture of three people, so I’m not really sure. The music sounds quite impressive even if it was the creation of a power trio, even more so if it’s just one person behind everything. The Death Metal style employed here takes a strong influence from that of INCANTATION in that it feels very atmospheric, a lot of the riffs consist of droning tremolo notes. But don’t think this is one of those bands that has a single trick fitting neatly into an established musical niche, you’ll also be hit with some actual riffs and not just atmospherics, think of IMMOLATION or MORBID ANGEL. Other times you might hear something that sounds like dissonant Death Metal or even second wave Black Metal and to top it all, some of these parts are accompanied by synth pads. To make things even more varied there are two types of vocals used throughout the album. The main one (I’m not sure if one is used more than the other, but this one seems to stand out more) feels a bit odd given the style of the instrumentation, but adds to the originality. It is a bit in the higher register, but still guttural and you would find it more in contemporary Death / Thrash bands inspired by early PESTILENCE, think of RUDE or Chile’s SUPPRESSION. The other type of vocals are very much what you would expect from a Death / Black Metal band, being in a lower register and less articulated. Listen with an open mind if you’re into a strictly traditional Death / Black sound, but if you enjoy bands seeking to have their own sound “Pestilential Hymns” might be just what you were looking for. www.instagram.com/thaumaturgy_official, www.facebook.com/memento.mori.label