Band:	Dragged Into Sunlight
Album:	Terminal Aggressor II
Style:	Death metal, Blackened sludge metal
Release date:	January 2020

01. Terminal Aggressor II

The bile spewing UK fiends in Dragged Into Sunlight recently had a huge fallout with Prosthetic Records. This EP was apparently released by the label without any prior consultation with the band, and they will not be receiving a single cent of the funds generated from it. A shame, because they certainly deserve it for this beast.

A sequel of sorts to the band's Terminal Aggressor EP released way back in 2009, Terminal Aggressor II features a single, 29 minute eponymous track. It's a thick slab of all the tricks Dragged Into Sunlight have utilized in their filthy, punishing formula up to this point, and a listen that demands patience on the part of the listener. Things start off in that formless, droney dark ambient personality that the band previously explored on Widowmaker: dark, eerie, and somewhat ritualistic. Dragged Into Sunlight aren't in any sort of rush to pummel the listener with Hatred For Mankind 2.0 here, and instead focus on building a suspenseful, imposing, and all around mesmerizing atmosphere for roughly the first 10 minutes of this offering.

"Terminal Aggressor II" is a composition that gradually escalates in intensity throughout its duration, and gradually is the key word. While the first half of the track may seem a bit boring and meandering to fans looking for the more ferocious side of Dragged Into Sunlight, the track as a whole is paced quite excellently and eventually builds to one hell of a payoff. Shortly after crossing the 10 minute threshold, vocals kick in, those trademark ear piecing banshee shrieks of front man T. This slowly gets built upon with a pulsating bass added in near the 15 minute mark, and drums and guitar entering the picture about 2 minutes later. Before you know it, the raw unrelenting persona of Dragged Into Sunlight is back in business, driving the track forward to a magnificent, hellish climax.

Terminal Aggressor II really seems to succeed in merging Dragged Into Sunlight's dark ambient and blackened death approaches better than ever before. Its lulling and hypnotizing first half, while satisfying, is somewhat deceptive, as it crescendos step by step into a delivery that only seems to get more unshackled as it progresses. An all around exciting and very well written release, this EP has raised my curiosity quite high for what may come next from the band. Here's hoping that it continues in this vein, and that these guys may find a better, more honorable label to host them.

Normally I would embed a Bandcamp player, but since it has been highly suggested by the band themselves that they won't be receiving a penny from this release, I feel as though doing so would be something of an unethical endorsement of Prosthetic Records. While official Metal Storm policy doesn't condone piracy, all I'm going to say is that in this case I'm certainly not going to act as though purchasing this EP from the label would be the morally desirable alternative.

If you're really interested in supporting Dragged Into Sunlight monetarily, please direct your attention over here.