Nattsakog never sleeps! Well he claims he does but me, I’m not so sure. Garden Of Eyes is another of his projects besides Sykelig Englen (black metal), Hexavoid (‘dissonant death metal’) and Blasphemous Degradation (bloody noisy war metal). And probably more I’ve missed. This time we are up to our necks in the muck and filth of primitive death metal.

Subject matter? Well the name of the project comes from an entity in the notorious game Bloodborne – a insanely hard pseudo 17th century nightmare of Lovecraftian abominations, plague, eternal night and insanity with mind meltingly deep lore.

In other words, perfect death metal territory.

Three tracks, three ‘offerings’. Fetid, Rotted and Cursed in order. From the off this is as primitive and dank as you want. Slow, dragging riffs slide, trudge and chug through a sewage thick as tar and vocals breathe and growl and snarl in their wake. The drums give the tracks a relentless drive, an engine clogged with thick black muck but still driving onwards. Occasionally there are breaks of a kind; ‘Rotted Offering’ has a strange drop out, quieter section with nicely deranged vocals, ‘Cursed Offering’ a discordant Celtic Frost like lead break that gradually gets sucked back into the riff. ‘Fetid Offering’ as screech of a break.

Right… Will you like it? Well this is what it is. Primitive, filthy, fetid, ponderous and basic. But if things like that appeal this is also pretty fun in a ‘I need to scrub myself clean after listening ‘ way [good luck finding any soap ED] . There is a style and a well thought through vision here and yes, I could genuinely and happily listen to a good 30 minute album of this filth. Early Portal pulling slow, repetitive Autopsy riffs through the sewage being stalked by a sentient tumour. Maybe I’d like the bass turned up or flapping about early Vircolac style but, hey, I actually like this.

Yeah that might say more about me… Probably not one for tech death fans but actually this is where my death metal tastes lie. In the muck, slowly rotting, never dying.

Very, very promising.

Get some sleep Nattskog.

(7.5/10 Gizmo)

https://necrolatryrecords.bandcamp.com/album/fetid-rotted-cursed