Label: Unsigned/Independent
Origin: Sicily, Italy
Italian death dealers Dechristianized deliver unyielding heaviness and blistering guitar solos in their latest EP, Litanies of Iconoclasm. The stakes are high for this 90’s-inspired death metal entry, considering the full boat of artists working in this hallowed pit, and i ragazzi from Sicily do not disappoint. Turn after turn reveals one killer track after another, and outside of the brief introductory hand, listeners are left with six of a brutal kind.
Ante up with the intro track “Diabolical Dimension,” a short but moving atmospheric escape into distance screams, crackling fire, and uncertain static, all setting the table for the lead single, “The Serpent’s Wrath.” This track presents a powerful spread up front, with blast-beating and classic riffs carrying Dorian’s epic tuned-down death growls. A Slayer-like squealing solo elevates the pot, and slowed, crushing sludge reminds the listener that Dechristianized is not a novice in the game. Mid-deck face cards such as “Mother of the Seven Sins” and “Malevolence” rely heavily on this proven strategy, largely overpowering and dominating from beginning to end, with knife’s-edge solos to mix things up and cut the deck. The latter slowplays the first few seconds before folding devastation into the remainder of the track, concluding with Gatecreeper-like down-trodden riffs in spades. “Obliteration By The Beast” maintains a crafty draw, with sneak peak pinch harmonics thrown in just enough to keep the listener interested before blowing them away with Wydle-esque soloing.
Temple of Sickness (14:58 - 18:17) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxenc0jYbc4&t=898s
Standout “Temple of Sickness” is perhaps the most varied of the tracks, and showcases a variety of enflamed hands. Early in the fire, the music cuts for a split second – a common but effective tactic to reinforce the brutality of the aural assault. Where the listener might have expected a second bet of the same pause, Dechristianized choose to check it – only to value bet minutes later with an artfully-timed cymbal-laden silence. The end of this track surprisingly plays like the ending of Blood Incantation‘s “Inner Paths (To Outer Space),” a testament to the full house of death metal greatness (try the 4:27 mark of “Inner Paths” if you don’t believe me, or even if you do, it’s epic). This song, “Temple of Sickness,” captures that all-in feeling and throws some blasting in to sweeten the pot.
Album closer, “Evil Sacrifice” three-bets conventional modern death metal into poverty, before revealing the nuts – a perfectly-played flush of suited notes. The speed of delivery and the transitional power are on full display, and the primary riff is face-melting. Dechristianized easily sweep the death-metal table with power, confidence, and creativity – rendering Litanies of Iconoclasm among the greatest payouts and most consistent decks of songs in 2023.
FFO: Exterminatus, Blood Incantation, Slayer, Gatecreeper, Cannibal Corpse