All sorts of firepower (pun intended) on hand for The Living Magisterium, the debut EP from Wisconsin’s Emblazoned. Featuring former and current members of Jungle Rot and Decrepit Birth (we don’t have too many polar opposites in death metal – those are definitely two), the band’s scathing brand of death/black metal manages to click across the five songs on hand: one intro, and four regular tunes.
Bands holding down the death/black style often have a difficult time pacing themselves, for because they fall into the margins, there’s no real accountability for their tempos. It’s usually all fast, and that’s it. Emblazoned, though, manage to clutch onto both maniacal speed (“Extinction of Creation”) and grueling mid-paced avenues (“Refuge in Darkness”), the latter of which doles out some eerie-feeling riffs that are suitably Scandinavian…and scary.
What could be viewed as a quality primer for something more full-bodied down the road, Emblazoned demonstrate gobs of technical proficiency and restraint on The Living Magistrium, a trait that should serve them quite well when they hunker down to write a full-length. Like-minded bands should take notice.