EMASCULATOR
The Disfigured And The Divine (EP)
My god is brutal death metal with such an acquired taste. And I have such an appetite for what it provides. It’s always been said that there’s a proverbial ‘hump’ that one has to jump through before they can get into the more extreme variants of this artform that we graciously and insatiably consume. But once you reach that level, you just find yourself craving more and more. If you’re in the mood for a bit of blood spatter and adrenaline-fueled intensity, might I suggest EMASCULATOR’s EP “The Disfigured And The Divine” to close out your evening?
THE BAND
Formed in Prague in 2021, these Czech masters of carnage don’t mess around when it comes to tasty beats, bloodcurdling vocals, and absolutely gruesome brutality that is tangible enough coursing through your veins.
The four-piece outfit gives you no time to breathe but all the time in the world to appreciate their unique musicality served in a cocktail with various human entrails. Fronted by the arm-in-a-blender growls of Mallika Sundaramurthy, expertly backed by the chainsaw guitar lines of Teresa Wallace and Morgehenna and bone-crushing rhythms of Cierra White, the band fits together like the puzzle box from Hellraiser. I do have to warn you, my dear reader, after listening to this EP, you may feel a sudden urge to break expensive furniture with a bat. Be warned.
THE ALBUM
“The Disfigured And The Divine” is somewhat like a journey through the senses. As much as this EP makes you want to break shit, it also makes you introspective and a bit woozy. The first three tracks, “Ecstasy In Disseverment (Of Self)”, “In Resplendent Terror”, and “Thesmophoric Rites” are an exercise in how fast and intense they can stretch the limits of the sonic waves exiting your headphones. But as the EP progresses you are greeted with “The Unassailable”, a track that feels as if it should accompany an anthropological study or archeological dig in the Levant (the region along the eastern Mediterranean).
Being so taken aback, you are almost expecting some epic adventure soundtrack to follow, but you are greeted with “Eradication Of The Asuras”, which turns the brutality back up to eleven. My personal favorite track is “Age Of The Goddess”, which does not stop to let you catch your breath. The length that Sundaramurthy gets on some of these growls is just so raw and guttural that you can’t help but be in awe.
The EP ends with “Supreme Void Of Acephalous Being” and effectively butchered my ear drums. As soon as the EP started, it ends, which makes this reviewer want more.
THE VERDICT
EMASCULATOR absolutely killed it on this EP. It made me want put it on repeat over and over again until I got sick of it. Only thing is, I never did! Please check this out as soon as you can. It releases on New Standard Elite on the 25th of September. You won’t be disappointed!
Matthew McCune