Fossilization – Leprous Daylight (Everlasting Spew Records)
Wednesday, 6th September 2023
For the death/doom connoisseurs, Brazil’s Jupiterian may ring a particularly slimy bell. Having been one of the more unique and menacing purveyors of their chosen proclivity, they’ve been steadily affirming a firm foothold. What some may not know is that vocalist/guitarist V and drummer P have also been plying their trade in Fossilization; a project that leans farther towards the death metal path in the death/doom lexicon they have been specializing in. Steadily fine tuning their sound since 2020’s He Whose Name Was Long Forgotten EP and a split release with Ritual Necromancy in 2022, the debut full-length is now upon us with Leprous Daylight.
Immediately, it’s apparent that the level of violent aggression and blistering death metal riff dexterity has been turned up a few degrees, while thankfully not losing the ever important ebbs and flows of V’s unpredictable songwriting acumen. Peaks of deathly ferocity transition between valleys of doom laden sorrow within “Once was God,” leading into the stirring romp that is “Oracle of Reversion.” Smashing rhythms relentlessly pummel away, weaving amongst increasingly heavy slower segments, forming one of the tracks that burn deepest into the memory.
If blackened leads and crushing doom signatures are what’s required, “At the Heart of the Nest” and “Eon” will assuredly quench that thirst in direct yet nuanced fashion. The title track and “The Night Spoke the Tongue of Flames” offer a differing taste, mainly relying on quicker leads and more forthright brutality to get Fossilization’s message across. Finally, for an Asphyx-like pummeling, “Wrought in the Abyss” will no doubt be a sonically pleasing array of filth and gigantic riffage layered with snarling vocalizations.
A major element that Fossilization gets so right is cultivating a nightmarishly grim atmosphere that helps set apart the best in this subgenre from those that simply play low, slow, and heavily distorted. This duo nails those subtleties, coupled with memorable compositional quality that gives the Brazilians a formidable mixture of grit and sophistication. Bands such as 71TonMan and Lurk have been especially proficient in these areas in 2023, and Fossilization certainly have put their best grime-ridden foot forward.
Truth be told, Fossilization isn’t changing the game with Leprous Daylight, and they don’t have an overwhelming need to. What they’ve manufactured is a crushing, well-written, and memorable debut album that hits just right in all of the important moments. From the suffocating Dead Congregation inspired forcefulness, to the downtrodden doom aesthetic that is the glue of the band’s aura, Leprous Daylight is an accomplished release that deserves a place in your library of mucky, noxious soundscapes.
