PSEUDOGOD - Deathwomb Catechesis (CD)

"As the death metal sea has parted, with old school on one side and new on the other, a small but notable sect of bands has arisen and strived to take older death metal principles and push them into a modern framework. Outfits like DEAD CONGREGATION, IGNIVOMOUS, and MITOCHONDRION represent this kind of ideal crossroads between eras and aesthetics, and Russian act Pseudogod has now confidently established themselves within this elite group as well...a surprisingly adventurous, semi-progressive nature that toes a line between several established strains of extreme metal in a unique fashion. What we basically have here is a supremely heavy, incredibly fast and demanding form of blackened death metal that focuses less on individual riffs and memorable moments and more on creating a demented, unpredictable tidal wave of sounds. Like the aforementioned MITOCHONDRION's Parasignosis, Deathwomb Catechesis is a hellish soundscape, an ambient netherworld of intensity that brutalizes you with its sheer overwhelming impact...a boldly adventurous take on war-torn, blasphemous death metal that stands on its own terms, and it bears comparisons to some of the style's current heavyweights more in intent than in sound and approach. This is one of the most compelling and intense death metal albums I've heard recently, and I keep coming back to it just because it offers such a deep and rewarding experience each time. Deathwomb Catechesis feels something like a statement of defiance against the hordes of copycat bands currently arising in the death metal scene, and serves as a reminder that there's still plenty of exciting ground to cover in this genre's darkest and most unholy depths" -MetalReview.com [9/10 rating]

"This is dark, unhinged bestial Metal Of Death, but not all shitty and goaty, full of all the trademark bestial-isms - fast riffs, fast drums, throaty delayed vocals, leather - but so much better than so much of the shit out there. The sound is rough in the right way, and the songs discernible with tons of dark aura. Easily Top Five material here: believe it, comrade" -Zero Tolerance [5.5/6 rating]

"A well rounded-out and solid statement of compactness with this debut, and regardless of the fact that this take on black metal blatantly ain't this afternoon's newsflash, it's gotta be said that for what it is: this record is tight, vile, and razor-sharp...these lads are rolling in with fervent track builds that are, for the most part, a well-balanced affair infused with enough variations to keep the oomph and the creative nerve onboard, and not to mention, this vocalist is fucking barbaric and devoted to his craft, taking the melodrama of those ferociously and grippingly desolate ambiances up a notch with his sole putrid barks and otherworldly yells all through the album...All blades are out and well-sharpened: these dudes are more than ready for some real slaying" -TheDailyStab.GuitarPirate.com

"Another contender to the throne that is currently being fought over by VASAELETH, TEITANBLOOD, and NOCTURNAL BLOOD...A deeply heavy sound, morbid atmosphere, a tempo that alternates between a dirge and an all-out, yet primitive, non-technical blast is what you get with Pseudogod, and band that, like their brethren mentioned above, is not quite trawling through the much mined depths of the OSDM revival. Instead, Pseudogod remain firmly rooted in a certain traditional mindset and approach to blackened death metal...recommended for those fans with the blackened heart of the old school beating strong within their breast" -About.com

"The riffing, the kit-pounding, and the songwriting in general _ it always sounds about to come unhinged, but it maintains a kind of fucked-up cool throughout. And it's all implausibly evil-sounding in the end. Implausibly evil_We've got what we in the reviews business call ?nuanced things_ on this. And it comes with a production job that brought all of its subtlety out expertly _ it's not caked in grime and skuzz, but it's not even close to being bleachy, either. As a whole, Deathwomb came out neither fully of the old-school style nor fully modern-sounding. It just sounds good. Plain and simple" -Metalstorm.net [9.2/10 rating]

"A clear cross-cultural appeal to the fans of both old-school death and primal black metal aesthetics. They've a sound that's not all that simple to pin down: perhaps a few drops of blood from hybrid forebears like BLASPHEMY, ANGELCORPSE, PROCLAMATION or REVENGE, awning gutturals that occasionally remind one of INCANTATION, and a bit of that belligerent, percussion driven riffing that Quorthon wove into the late ?80s BATHORY records like Under the Sign of the Black Mark or Blood Fire Death. In general, though, the Russians do an excellent job of blending all these ingredients together into a savage and forceful experience that, while not exactly perfect, is like to appeal to just about anyone wearing a denim or leather jacket adorned with any semblance of inverted cross...Deathwomb Catechesis represents pure, unadulterated hostility carried out in simple, barbaric riff patterns that flex between bursts of accelerated violence and slower, driving walls of chords...a horrifying experience not to be missed. Pure hate" -From the Dust Returned webzine [8/10 rating]

"Their considerably close proximity to Finland really shows in their sound: all raw, brutal, rough and bloody blackened death growls interwoven through a cacophony of thick and hate-filled guitar lines. As a fan of bands like BEHERIT and ARCHGOAT, I was really able to sink my teeth into this album. It's thrashy, and often doomy, blackened death chaos to be sure, but there is also beauty in it, like slow falling snow flakes over the scattered wreckage of a Siberian warzone" -ThrashHead.com [4/5 rating]

"The eight tracks confined within this blast of modern and old-school death metal is as evil and as anti-everything as you can get...With a firm, gauntletted grasp on the fundamentals of OSDM, these guys char it up nicely with the fires of Hades, as well as inject some modern death intricacies within its violent depths. As a whole, the album enfolds around you as an intense atmosphere of hellish proportions. Individually, each track contributes to this suffocating wall of destruction, yet still carry elements that help them stand out from the brutal onslaught" -MouthforWar.net

"Total crushing death doom with perfect death metal vocals. Riffs that are heavy as a ton of bricks and vocals from the pits of hell itself. Speed parts that will rip your head off and slower parts that will melt you into gore. Great production, as well, on this, and the guitar sound is unreal_a perfect mix of death and doom metal, and I loved every second of this. Totally laid me to waste" -Metalcorefanzine.com

"Listening to Deathwomb Catechesis from Russia's Pseudogod, it's hard to believe it's the band_s debut release. Eight songs of bass, guitars heavy with equally heavy, fast pounding drums combine to make a very noisy, angry style and sound_Just when you least expect it, the band slows down to more controlled mid-paced death/doom style similar to older INCANTATION or CIANIDE, then speeds back up to the darkened, heavy style Pseudogod is crafting to perfection_Fans who enjoy straightforward death metal with touches of old-school mixed in should not miss this album" -Dead Void Dreams webzine