RECKLESS MANSLAUGHTER - Caverns Of Perdition CASSETTE

Death, as it happens, is intrinsically lethal, so its metallic expression should be no less than that, a quality granted with increasing rarity these days, though … but Reckless Manslaughter have returned with their third full-length to stay true to what once made the genre great.

However, the Germans don’t just go through the motions. “Caverns of Perdition” reveals new surprises with each track, not once rising from its first row seat in the old school. This is obvious right from the opening ‘Blast into Oblivion’, which marries the manic pace of early Morbid Angel with the infallible stoicism of the sadly missed Bolt Thrower, and remains a fact even across the rhythmically complex ‘Stiffshifter’ and the sluggish twelve minutes of ‘Funeralmaster’, a quasi-homage to Autopsy.

Elsewhere, ‘Unleash the Spirits of the Fallen’ combines more nasty doom-riffery with surprisingly melodic bass playing and wistful guitar leads before erupting into a frenzy. The equally punishing pummel of ‘Operation Chastise’ is crowned by a heroic solo, as is the no less devastating ‘Catacombs of Perpetual Damnation’ later on, whereas the instrumental dirge ‘Into Unknown Caverns’ gets counterbalanced by the extremely catchy stomper ‘Vaporized Crucifix’.

Acoustic parts in all the right places top off the whole thing like clouds of foreboding over those titling “Caverns of Perdition” which iconic graphic artist Dan Seagrave (Dismember, Entombed etc.) so well depicts on his epic cover – an artwork fit for the future classic this album is!