SOUL INCURSION - Eternal Darkness
December 20, 2023, 11 months ago
(Independent)
Finland DM crew Soul Incursion's debut EP, Eternal Darkness, makes no broken bones about where its creators' influences lay: shattered on the warfield under piles of Bolt Thrower and Hail Of Bullets CDs. But when the occasional limb bursts out of the wreckage, you can see mid-era Death longsleeve imagery burned into the flesh, and it's a refreshing mixture.
Indeed, the opening title track climbs the crystal mountain, and EP midpoint “Dreams To Destroy” conquers it, the band laying down solid riff after solid riff, hitting that rare last-album Death sweet spot of sound and vibe before crawling back to the Florida swamps for the final sprint. Impressive, as is “Abysmal Flames”' forward march, again, through the battlefields and on to slightly progressive death metal glory; “Perpetual Wasteland” closes it off with the band going knee-deep into a slower, Obituary-esque pace but adding in some glory-ride guitar work along the way.
I'm impressed, Soul Incursion deftly navigating all this with the skills of old souls. A five-song EP works well for them, but I get the feeling they'll also be able to craft a killer debut full-length when the time comes.
