Album Review: Endless

Release Date: April 13th, 2018

Picked up by Deadboy Records in late 2011, Depths have hit the ground running, adding a new angle to the New Zealand Metal scene and bringing a fresh sound to the table. Presumably named after the album from US deathcore band, Oceano, Depths has managed to draw an international style of death metal from the comforts of Palmerston North. This year we see the release of their highly anticipated fourth studio album, labelled as one of the hardest working bands in the country, Endless is sure to please fans and further cement these guys as leaders in their field.

Ushered into the album we are immersed in an almost soothing introduction, before being quickly ripped away by the first track Apophis. Bombarded with chopping drum beats and blood boiling screams, the intensity is felt right from the beginning. Flowing seamlessly into the aptly named, Osiris, the beat down continues. Massive drops counter-weighed by the airy guitar leads, help create a ferocious texture and the smooth but fast production allows the band’s trademark sound to surface in the best possible way.

Clearly designed to be listened to in its entirety, the journey into this album continues with Setekh, aggressively pounding with grinding bass and machine-like drumming the statement is made clear. sticking with the themes of ancient Egypt and laced with a sense of higher power, the overall landscape of the album is easy to identify and provokes thought within the listener. Khonsu attacks our beliefs with sub structured flows and abstract elements to really diversify things and even skew the ear toward a unique aural experience.

Taking a turn from here on in we are wound down a road of blast beats and slimy riffs with Ba-pef, its rabid vocal work cutting through like a hacksaw quickly followed by the upbeat flows of Ernutet submerged by deep and heavy drops, drowning and sinking us into an entirely different dimension of music provided by Shai. Tossed around by waves of rolling drums then pushed to the surface by the massive Djent tone explosions whilst being eaten alive by the savage vocal chants of Khepri, the final track in this epic.

Blowing away their previous works with speed and technicality backed by a solid production, it’s clear that this is a step in the right direction for the future of Depths, awakening the ear and ingraining their music forever into the listener’s mind. Watch out for this in the local charts and be sure to grab yourself a copy, highly recommended listening.

DEPTHS - Apophis (Official Music Video)

★★★★★ (5 stars)

_{Review written by Matt Mutinous}