Band:	Ulcerate
Album:	Cutting The Throat Of God
Style:	Technical death metal
Release date:	June 14, 2024
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. To Flow Through Ashen Hearts
02. The Dawn Is Hollow
03. Further Opening The Wounds
04. Transfiguration In And Out Of Worlds
05. To See Death Just Once
06. Undying As An Apparition
07. Cutting The Throat Of God

Ulcerate’s formula of dissonant, highly technical and atmospheric death metal remains pretty much unchanged. Not like it matters if the results continue to be this engaging.

I feel that the hype surrounding Ulcerate is starting to get Tool-levels of excess, and this comes from a huge fan of the New Zeeland trio. My expectations were surprisingly low because I had trouble imagining how they could top their two masterpieces: The Destroyers Of All and Stare Into Death And Be Still. The first one being the first album I’d heard by them but also the album where they locked in their wild sound; the second and most recent one being a well-needed change of style with a slower, pensive approach to their extreme music.

But, less than 2 minutes into the opener “To Flow Through Ashen Hearts”, I’m immediately reminded why I keep falling for this trio. I no longer think of them as “Deathspell Omega but death metal”. Now, it’s just Ulcerate being Ulcerate. All the tweaking in sound has paid off, and a huge part of this is due to the astonishing musicianship. There are just so many aspects to sink your teeth in. The guitars continue to wail in their dissonant fashion and deliver crushing riffs which twist and turn frequently, thus creating a threatening sense of vertigo. But, just like on the previous album, Ulcerate has acquired a better sense of dynamics resulting in calmer sections where there is more breathing room and some beautiful melodies can pop out. I enjoy these sections a lot because more emphasis is put on the warm bass which feels like a purifying bath after the wild storm previously endured.

As much as I enjoy the excellent performance on guitars and bass, it is still Jamie Saint Merat’s mastery of the drumkit that continues to floor me after all these years. Few bands captivate me in the drum department like Ulcerate does. I think it is irrelevant whether you're a fan of the band or not: you’d be a fool to deny the gift this man has. Most of the tension building, the delicate interludes and thundering crescendos are all created or enhanced solely by the drumming. It is precise to a clinical level with no filler being out of place or unnecessary. Despite this high technical level, the drumming is capable of taking you on an emotional ride. Together with all the aforementioned elements as well as the colossal growls, Ulcerate continue to deliver some fantastic landscapes of giant proportions. The clashing of two planets. Furious waves eroding rock. Lava slowly melting everything around it. An out-of-body experience.

These are all landscapes I picture in my head which I’m sure most people are well acquainted with by now. But, this is the dividing point with Ulcerate. People who never got into them will find no reason to do so now. On the other hand, those who have been smitten since the beginning will undoubtedly celebrate this new record. We are not getting any big surprises at this point, but I honestly do not care. This is a sound that no other band is coming close to replicating any time soon. To make distinctions between tracks is an arduous task for me and it has always been like that. In a way, I feel Ulcerate is more at home being compared to ambient/drone/noise artists that specialise in textures and vibes rather than actual songs. And I fully understand if that isn’t someone’s cup of tea. I personally find it deeply engaging. Like jumping headfirst into an apocalyptic scenery that lasts the whole album. I wouldn’t have it any other way.