Igne

In case you are in the mood for some more no-nonsense Polish death metal you came to the right place. Symbolical have been around for nearly a decade and so far managed to produce two full lengths. I am not familiar with those, but I came across their 2021 EP “Igne” and was immediately hooked by their brand of full throttle and pumping death metal groove combined with somewhat ethereal and atmospheric influences used to set them apart from their peers. The four gentlemen responsible for the relentless music all gained quite a bit a bit of experience in other projects so you can expect a very polished and professional end product.

There are only three songs, but thanks to one 10+ minutes epic the EP has enough meat to pick from the bone and adds up to 25 minutes of running time. Each of the individual tracks presents a gritty but woozy maelstrom of swarming, dissonant riffs and explosive percussive elements. Symbolical have managed the craft of delivering songs which are clearly and precisely executed while coming up with some surprises along the way. The music is epic, grandiose and otherworldly yet still irresistibly unpretentious and believable in its way to present a crushing and straight-forward vision of apocalyptic destruction. Driven by the pummeling rhythm section, unstoppable riffing and some scorching, cathartic guitar solos there is everything genre fans could hope for.

As shown in track number two “Epiphany & Revival“ Symbolical are probably at their most formidable when powering forward in mid-paced or even slower tempo and combine the crushing riffs and the murderous drum beats with calmer sections and some relaxing guitar melodies in a very organic and stringent way. Each of the songs and the different passages possess charisma and insidious hooks of their own. In the closer “Disciples of Death” Symbolical deliver numerous well-crafted and ostentatious riffs throughout and combine them with some acoustic laid-back parts as contrast, lending the music a very special affair and creating welcome moments of relief from the band’s frenetic blasting and massive riffs.

The vocals are absolutely monstrous with singer Cymer being on top of his game. The instrumentation is stunning, something that can also be stated when it comes to the production. The sound is crushing and thunderous and blows a lot stuff from more famous bands out of the water. Symbolical are more than capable of writing some really enjoyable heavy riffs and battering drumbeats and add their own distinct style, making “Igne” a short piece of hefty but intelligent music that should be checked out by any death metal fan. The physical package is rounded off by a perfectly fitting cover artwork so overall this is a great addition to the collection.