ICHOR

Hadal Ascending UnHOLY cOnspIRAcY DEATHWORK/ WOOAAARGH Underwater adventures with a less than buoyant soundtrack Fans of 1989 deep sea fantasy drama The Abyss will find thematic kinship with the lyrical explorations throughout these German death metallers’ fourth album. Hadal Ascending tells a fictional tale of human marauders plunging into oceanic darkness to battle deep-water creatures who just want to be left alone to practise a unique form of ritualistic, water-logged magic. But for all the mixing of sinister Polish death metal majesty and modern US-style melody-drenched riffs, the band have clearly spent more time making their storytelling compelling than exploiting their musical references’ full potential. The production is pristine, the performances are top-notch, but the compositions themselves lack the infectious staying power able to prevent them from dissolution into the ether (or sinking to the bottom of the ocean) once they’re done.

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FOR FANS OF: Black Dahlia Murder, Decapitated, Behemoth

CONNIE GORDON