Tech Death Extremists VALE OF PNATH have joined forces with MetalSucks for the premiere of forthcoming EP Accursed.
Stream Accursed metalsucks.net/2019/05/10/full-ep-stream-vale-of-pnath-accursed
VALE OF PNATH will release Accursed May 17 on Willowtip Records. In case you missed it, check out the official video for “The Darkest Gate” here.
Pre-order:
Order via Willowtip tinyurl.com/vop-accursed-willowtip
Order via Bandcamp tinyurl.com/vop-accursed-bandcamp
The band’s second EP following two acclaimed full-lengths (2011’s The Prodigal Empire and 2016’s II), Accursed is fueled with Tech Death adrenaline and shrouded in black metal’s iniquitous aura. Those complementary qualities enhance what is unequivocally another giant step forward in penetrating songwriting dynamics. Concision with depth describes the five proper compositions, while the cold, mechanistic opening soundscape “Shadow and Agony” and chilling interlude “Audient Void,” are equally vital in completing an EP that is best absorbed as a holistic musical experience, albeit one that is the stuff of nightmares. The picture painted is a bleak one, the intensity unleashed nothing short of devastating to the nervous system and traumatic to the psyche.
"It's still very much within their signature technical melodic death metal sound supported as always by lethal grooves and spine-crushing brutality. But Accursed definitely goes all in on a darker, more black metal influenced world more than any prior release." - Metal Injection "Accursed is the perfect distillation of everything Vale of Pnath have been building towards, at once fierce and contemplative, aggressive and introspective." - MetalSucks "This is certainly the best tech-death I've heard in 2019 and probably some of the best I found altogether." (9.5/10) - The Metal Observer "A modern Death Metal classic." (9/10) - Metal Temple "Unabashedly modern and sleek, weaving symphonic black metal with uber-technical death metal into a complex and tangled tapestry that evokes equal parts Anthems-era Emperor or Enthroned-vintage Dimmu Borgir and modern day Beyond Creation or The Black Dahlia Murder." (4.5/5) - Metal Rules "Vale of Pnath has once again made a sharp yet carefully measured stylistic turn, offering their own unique perspective on the modern shift; by eschewing the neoclassical, fantasy-based aesthetics of II to instead focus on a more raw, blackened sound, the band has demonstrated their thorough understanding of the greater direction of metal as a whole as it grows more grim, primal, and disillusioned across its vast sea of subgenres." - Invisible Oranges "The overall atmosphere is menacing, horrendous filth that seethes with untold terror, while the musicianship is equally jaw dropping. Vale of Pnath’s work is carved from molten rock, and burnished into an alien hue, both unknown and mesmerising." - The Killchain "A fun and wildly heavy EP that will turn a lot of heads." - Technical Music Review "The instrumentation is superb, the songwriting focused, and the vibe as diverse and interesting as one could hope for in a technical death metal release. Vale of Pnath continue their habit of releasing excellent music." - Heavy Blog is Heavy "Their finest display of technical death metal yet." - Heaviest of Art "A fantastic EP worth any fan of the style's time." - Lair of the Bastard "Song-structures throughout this EP are perfect and nothing so far this year in tech-death terms gets close to Accursed. Absolutely Brutal." - This Noise Is Ours "The music here mixes extreme technical proficiency, dark blackened majesty, modern sci-fi melody, and razor sharp speed to produce a collection of tracks that’s impressively enjoyable." - Indy Metal Vault "Vale of Pnath have always walked a line that pulled together melodic death, tech, and black metal together in a full-speed ahead way. They’ve rightfully acquired quite a name for themselves within the extreme scene, and new EP Accursed should do nothing but continue to solidify it." (8/10) - Dead Rhetoric "Fantastic metal music." - The Doorway To "A strong key presence still pervades the band’s undercurrent, but this time things feel darker, more sinister." - Toilet ov Hell