There’s a particularly tough balance with this new crop of old-school death metal bands, where we’ve clearly heard it all before (in this style, especially, that nostalgia is the point), and if you’re not doing anything new, get out of the way. Groups like Horrendous and Gatecreeper clearly have their sonic touchstones, but they (and other top-tier acts) rise above simple homages to legends past. There really seems to be no room (at least critically) for acts that obviously do a thing, and do it quite well. That’s a shame because, even if it lacks a truly lasting appeal, this type of music absolutely has its place. This applies to the latest release from Greek death metal act Ectoplasma, and their rather obvious love of Death, Autopsy, and Obituary.
It’s plainly clear from the onset, with cover art that was designed for the cassette era, that Ectoplasma are very aware of the nostalgia game, and Cavern of Foul Unbeings is a truly delicious batch of vicious death metal circa 1991. It’s not trying to take a unique spin on the beloved OSDM style, nor is it concerned with modern production quality. No, this Greek band wants to make a record that would fit in 1991 like a glove, and, by God, Cavern of Foul Unbeings is a gleefully good time for fans of the old style. It’s punchy, malicious, with just enough melody to keep songs (mostly) interesting. It all falls apart halfway through, in large part because 50 minutes was way too long to sustain this style, especially when Ectoplasma aren’t trying anything novel here. Plus, this is not top-tier death metal on any merits: riffs and solos are consistently very good, but never great, and the vocals are rather cookie cutter.
So where does that leave us? Despite overstaying its welcome, Ectoplasma are yet another talented and entertaining young metal band that Memento Mori have unleashed upon the world, and that’s well and great. The issue is that, when you write very good non-unique death metal, keep it short for maximum effect next time.
