Slugathor - Circle of Death Review artwork

Rating: 9.3

Country: Finland

Release Date: 2006

Track list:
1. Cycle of Destruction
2. Slow and Painful Death
3, Bestial Chaos [mp3]
4. Crypt of the Dead
5. Journey into Oblivion
6. Final Ceremony
7. Temple of Shadows (Apocalyptic Visions)
8. Legions of the Undead

Band Website: Slugathor

Slugathor - Circle of Death

Axu - Vocals
Tommi - Guitars, Bass
Immu - Drums

Leads in "Journey into Oblivion" by Jani Loikas.
Leads in the very end of "Legions of the Undead" by Tuoppi (R.I.P.)

Eclipsing the light of the sun a lumbering, hulking giant of impenetrable steel rolls methodically upward a steep, battle wounded hill. The earth quaking under its girth and intimidating, dominant presence, it sounds as if the sky is swelling with the thunder of ten thousand storms. This is the DEATHMETAL WAR MACHINE and it's an invincible behemoth of soul imploding proportions.

This particular force of imminent devastation: Slugathor; is like listening to Bolt Thrower on the wrong RPM, just as deadly-but slower, almost drunk off the blood from the millions on top of millions of the brutally deceased, squashed under its massive wheels. Quite the beastly and deadly experience. Traces of Obituary can be found in the armor, maybe even hints of pre-Martin Van Drunen Asphyx, early Incantation or Rottrevore-but Slugathor certainly captures their own essence here. The dark haunting harmonies oozing from the wounds Slugathor hath created on "Slow and Painful Death" will easily remind you why you listen to such music in the first place-spine chilling stuff!!!

At a slow to mid pace the machine rolls forth, grinding the dirt and bones as one into the field of the dead. These songs are just absolute skull crushers, spiced with the type of depressing and dying melodies only the Finnish seem to be able to perfect. Many moments give you that special feeling, the "magic" if you will-especially "Crypt of the Dead" with its dramatic intro. A proud and mighty weapon of choice harking back to the times of War Master! Deep death moans vomit forth the tale of ancient undead warriors coming back to reclaim earth as their own-a fitting metaphor for the ways of the ancient death to usurp the current trends and hold the word of metal under the unholy all-conquering grip of pure unrelenting true death. Slugathor, via use of almost hypnotic song structures cast spells of anthemic catastrophe for the already decayed and festering. Quite an atmosphere! Not short on gloom and doom, "Final Ceremony" feels as if you have already died and the music is a service for your demise... Slugathor being the cause of death, your undertaker and yes, even the one who fills your final resting place with the last shovel of dirt. Album closer "Legions of the Dead" is another highlight, especially the last 2 minutes easily rivaling even the most memorable of Immolation album closers. Violent and aggressive in its inception, but soon reducing itself to an obscurity bound monolith of misery, sorrow and dismal defeat-simply excellent!

Slugathor is indeed a force to be reckoned with, feared and respected. The riffs bludgeon, carve you to the core and pull you down into the grave; the drums pulverize your bones as vocalist Axu with an almost despondent air preaches forth blasphemes against your existence. Slugathor are here to do one thing, and one thing only: to glorify Death Metal at its most pure form. Death, destruction, chaos and burying the weak and useless. Not for the weak or uninitiated, a "mood" album that raises the bar for the new crop to almost unattainable levels.

October 22th, 2007