B. Dean knows his way around some mind-melting death metal, as his work with Gutvoid proves, but with Fathomless Ritual, the Torontonian is going solo, taking on vocals, guitar, bass, and drum programming. 

And what a glorious nervous racket this all is, opener “Hecatomb For An Unending Madness” actually alarming my ears to the point where I had to let them adjust, or the sonics slowly adjusted, or something; by the time I realized that wasn't an intro effect, that was music, I was already sucked in. “Exiled To The Lower Catacombs” has some excellent sideways Gorguts riffing, but the vibe is far more subterranean, Dean mining the depths of Demilich and Incantation worship with an ear to ear grin on his face. 

Man, the riffs are just non-stop here, and the songwriting is actually pretty smart as well, there being some dynamics instead of just burying me in mud. Although I'd take that as well, if I could listen to songs as mesmerizing and powerful as “Gorge Of The Nameless” (blindfolded DM labyrinth blasting) or “Wielding The Bone Wand” (an almost catchy, bass-led swamp thing death boil) while Dean just piled the murk over top of me, of you, of everyone who dares to venture into this excellent album. 

I dunno man, getting dangerously close to an 8.5 here, but I feel a bit of fatigue wear on my ears by the time the last couple songs are beating me senseless, although closer “Gifts For Aranaktu” has some dynamite slow-mo riffing worth the punishment.