Death & Beyond

The second full-length album by the Salvadoran death/thrash metal band came out of the shadows in November 2016 to close the year with a first-class metal discharge. CbH has matured its sound if we listen to the most distant "Pestilence Reborn" and the last three splits - launched between 2013 and 2015 - have been paving the way for something big.

The album "Death & Beyond" has gained some notoriety among the underground metal regulars and has obtained good reviews in several specialized magazines in the underground world. There's a good reason for that: it's a well-made album, from the cover and the design of the booklet to the music itself.

Solid drums, a clear and fast bass make the background for two guitars and mix with the harsh M.Q. 's vociferations, keyboards fill the spaces that could be empty in the melodic section, although in general, it has little prominence. The album starts at a dizzying pace, you realize that things are going seriously from the very beginning: Fast and aggressive riffs take control. "Chaos Upon Us" uses unusual tempos and unexpected changes that make it an interesting track. The album goes on in the same line of rude sound and speed.

All the tracks combined make a balanced set and alternate between fast riffs and some crushing slower tempos, like "We Choose Who Suffers", a track that has been part of the band's setlist for a while but has been released in an album only until this year. "Below the Pale Sky" is a taste of the band's most organic sound, much has this to do with the fact that it was composed in 2011. It's this track when the keyboard has its moment in the album, the vocal performance becomes a bit melancholic without diminishing the aggressiveness. It certainly stands out.

The longest track in the album is just over seven minutes, we have a great mix of thrash-infused death metal that brings to mind some classics but -still- has the necessary innovation with riffs worth listening to.

All in all, there are 46 minutes of angry metal played with a well-made production that maintains the rawness of the genre without compromising the sound, one of the best examples of the "Morbid Skull Sound". The album is far from monotonous or boring. This album earns a place among the best metal made in El Salvador and Latin America during 2016. The album describes itself in a few words: "No fucking bullshit!"

Originally written for Metal Extremista Webzine