Pazuzu - Oath of Unholy Sacrilege

Oath of Unholy Sacrilege, an assemblage of split tracks from Costa Ricans Pazuzu, basks this quartet in the deep red hue and demonic underbelly glow befitting a respectable Old School morbid Death Metal band. Harnessing the thick tonality of the Sunlight Studios classics, obvious influences and comparable lineage emerges such as Dismember, Autopsy, Entombed and Grave. To this point, Pazuzu include as the final track a cover of Nihilist's "Carnal Leftovers." Six tracks. Thirty Minutes. Death Metal. And, unfortunately, to that effect, there will be limited interest in the release. Pazuzu, although effective in their craft, do not bridge the threshold between commanding attention and falling in line with the rest of the troops.

The foursome's performances are all in line with the above sentiment as well with little stand out attention worthy of being called out. Keyrotten's drumming is often interesting rhythmically but heavy-handed with his cymbal usage, casting a brightness over the tracks which contrasts the sought-after darker doomier elements of songs like "Entrapment in Gloom". This over-usage is apparent in "Calamity And Death." Vocalist, Tomil has a strong low-gargle, mixed just under the often forward positioned guitars. It is effective, but not exemplary. Giovanni on guitars performs Pazuzu's death metal craft with care and attention, producing solid riffs that ooze and drip with rivulets of infected puss, however these riffs are simply not rancid enough to stick in my nostrils for an extended period of time nor are the melodies gangrenous enough to cause lasting tissue damage. Bassist Steven helps add to the mix on the low end and gets some time to stand-out in a few bass only sections in songs like "Calamity and Death" and "The Crawling Depths of Christendom and Abominations". Often times he follows the guitar too closely.  

This is fine while blasting through the speakers, but there's little come back to and subsequent listens render a casual verdict. While "Entrapment in Gloom" and "Ceremony in Inception" are the best Pazuzu offers on Oath of Unholy Sacrilege, these are just average. There are a lot of other bands doing this style more effectively, but if you just can't get enough dark, fetid, morbid Death Metal, you could also do a lot worse than Pazuzu's authentic take. Nihilistic Holocaust once again provides a fine layout for this tape release, with plenty of artwork and information to accompany Pazuzu's aesthetic.