Ectoplasma "Spitting Coffins" CD

Krucyator is not only a label offering some new and often unique stuff to metal fans with an exquisite taste (check out the new release of Shezmu for a fantastic recent example), but also trying to re-release interesting stuff that has become difficult to come by. One such example is the debut full length by the Greek death metal lurkers Extoplasma. “Spitting Coffins” has been released only four years ago, but from I what I understood this has been an independent output so it is great to get it for a reasonable price on CD. Since then Ectoplasma has gained quite a bit of respect within the scene, as they stand for uncompromising old school death metal, presented with a lot of passion for the genre.
As a pretty new band the band know members know exactly what the purpose of their music is, not in attempting to reinvent the genre, but in seeking simply to reinvigorate it, to bring the fascination of past days into the now, so as to make everything old new again. While on the one hand this approach automatically leads to some people shouting “copy cats”, there lies a certain advantage in it as well. Ectoplasma have a huge quantity of stuff to look at and learn from, and you can see that they are real fans of the genre, picking a lot of the positive details that made it so famous and well-liked.
While they have not excluded influences from European bands there are more similarities with their Florida peers I would say. The riffing comes across as being very traditional, with the tempo often staying in groovy mid-tempo fields. There are enough punishing blast-beats and growled vocals to be found here to satisfy each purist – but the album’s template offers a surprising portion of freshness, making sure that things never sound too old-fashioned. It’s the sort of album which appears simple on the surface, but there are some fine nuances rewarding multiple listens.
The highlight might be the perfectly executed riffs, often accompanied by some nice and surprisingly catchy lead harmonies. Ectoplasma manage to walk the fine line between having implemented enough hooks and straight rocking parts, but also some accords that might give them a bit more of an own identity. The drumming is as you might expect on point, sometimes more dominant, but always very groovy at the same time. The songs are quite short and very tight, packed with all you are going to ask for.
The production is a bit rough around the edges and something they have improved in their following outputs, but it still fitting and absolutely serviceable. Fans who like their death metal raw and gritty will just love the sound on “Spitting Coffins”. So all in all you could always question if albums like this are essential. The answer is probably not, but there still seems to be a lot of interest as the actual chart entry of the newest Benediction album showed. And if you are among those always looking for more quality old school death metal you cannot go wrong here.

Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...