Reekmind – Glints from the Crematorium (Effluvial Death Sludge)
Ah how nice it feels to finally review these guys. Australia’s Reekmind sent a promo my way for their last one, Mired in the Reek of Grief, but I passed for reasons I still regret. Generally I judge on art first, and though the cover was completely dismal (in the best way), it had a look that was difficult to read without taking in the entire image. Cropping did it no justice and ruined the vision. In this case we got enough to work with to keep the decayed Xerox aesthetic, while still finding form in the muck. This is critical, because these Aussies are in a habit of saturating their presence with mildew until the resultant, deteriorating mass is so sludgy it becomes palpable to all senses as the effluvial mucilage that it is. Most can not survive this level of sludge, but we here are used to the silted rot at the bottom of the pond.
I’m sure that pond is not the best analogy to describe the location these guys crawled from, but since this EP is called Glints from the Crematorium I suppose that the degraded, moisture-ridden filth at the bottom of an abandoned crematory would likely be a good start. Further, the album titles speak for themselves. I mean if “Flesh Draped on a Pitiful Frame” doesn’t define the atmosphere, you probably shouldn’t sample the actual sound. Carefully combining echoing acoustics with, slow, grindy build, with the occasional vocals that legitimately spooked me with their ghostlike delivery, for an EP this hits as hard as two LPs. They toss in one live track at the end that’s a nice bonus, but even without it Glints from the Crematorium is a blaze that reduces even teeth to ash. Depressing and divine, a true masterwork that makes me wish I just reviewed their last full-length damn it.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Reekmind – Glints from the Crematorium
Night Terrors Records
Cover Art: David Kukoľ (Lord Serus)
4.6 / 5
