In the vein of fellow countrymen
Portal,
Ignivomous and the recently risen
Impetuous Ritual, Aethyvorous play a devastating and obscure form of death metal, displaying yet another facet of Australia’s highly unique brand of skull-crushing destruction. In all respects, Aethyrvorous’s music represents a true deconstruction of death metal convention. While the influence of bands like
Incantation and
Imprecation is obvious, Aethyrvorous play heavily with the lumbering and ominous aesthetic that Portal have streamlined over their three LPs, shaping into something new while still keeping Portal's malicious tone. The three songs on the demo tape are simply numbered and unnamed, and there is little information to be found regarding the band’s members; the mystery behind the tape goes hand in hand with its disturbing nature.
All three tracks are lengthy death metal dirges filled with grinding riffage and squealing, monstrous guitar leads – ‘III’, a ten minute devastation taking up Side B entirely, exemplifies the band’s obscure style, its hulking tempos rolling along accompanied by monstrously low roars. Short yet effective samples can be found among the first two songs, one which separates the two, giving it a somewhat distinctive edge. At the very least, Aethyrvorous declare their standing in the Australian scene rather forcefully with this short demo tape, and they’re better off for it. As their first release, the waves it caused throughout the Aussie underground are completely expected, and anyone with a taste for the style of malevolent death metal purported by the likes of Portal will undoubtedly treasure this wondrous tape.
