Two years since their last release, the awesome Echoes of Mercy EP, Seprevation are back with another EP – Into the Black. The record is a short sharp shock of blasting deathrash across its 5 tunes. Wasting no time in deviating from brutality, opener “Ripping Holy Flesh” sets the tone. The riffs are generally more straightforward than previous efforts. Though the complexity Seprevation have displayed before is somewhat on the back burner, they more than make up for it in sheer speed and aggression.
The trend continues across the EP through “Scavengers of the Dusk” and “Draped Over Tombstones” which break from the blasting for momentary bouts of headbanging thrash before the neck-wrecking riffs continue. The latter has the sharpest contrast with its almost-mid-paced bridge (with some cool unison guitar/bass fills) and full on snare-snapping blastbeats. Reaching the end of Into the Black, the title track showcases a little difference with the more thrashing riffs and old-skool stylings of Seprevation’s earlier material – reminiscent of the Ritual Abuse EP.
Closing number “In the Fog” begins with a dread-laden slow power-chord riff, though it doesn’t last for long before a final whiplash-inducing blastfest. Overall the riffs are solid on Into the Black, with Seprevation’s signature modern deathrash shining through. However, it takes a few listens for the songs to truly sink in, and the shortness of the songs results in it being difficult to differentiate between them initially. The sound is also a little thinner than previous efforts. The mix is decent, especially the strong bass sound, however it feels like it’s missing some punch that would have made Into the Black more crushing.
Into the Black is a solid EP with 5 tracks of no-nonsense brutal deathrash. Seprevation have a core sound that is awesome, though there have been some differences across their back catalogue that suggests they’re trying different things and refining what will become their signature. Experimentation is never a bad thing, and Seprevation will certainly have a record up their sleeves that will firmly place them as one of the leaders of modern thrash and death metal.