Cerekloth – In the Midst of Life We are in Death
And now for something completely different from Hells Headbangers, typically a bastion of good ‘n ugly black/thrash, death/thrash, blackened death et al; what we have instead with Cerekloth is best described as slower-paced, conversely dissonant/harmonic Death Metal. As I’m usually enamored with HH’s output of the decidedly underproduced, I almost dismissed the album before giving it a real chance, but greatly relieved I gave it a full spin. With first track ‘Praeludium + Born of the Void’, I felt like I’d sat through an odd meld of Ulcerate, Blue Oyster Cult and Obituary. And Alice In Chains atmospherisms. A varied concoction to say the least, but more than enough to justify further inspection, which I dutifully gave. This is Death Metal, yes, but peppered with a courageously large spectrum of influence. And while undisputedly ‘heavy’, In the Midst of Life We are in Death as an album rarely strays into blast-beat territory or open-ended tremolo-picking, instead dragging its listener slowly along a path rife with melancholy melody and nerve-rending anti-melody at every turn. The approach is executed to such an extent one is left feeling a harsh numbness, rather than an Extreme Metal despondency or mainstream Metal ‘safety’. To which I say: huzzah! My only complaint is the ‘dual’ vocal moments of frontman JBP (low-register growl) and bassist Martin Leth Andersen (high-register snarl; more, please). Their voices separately are strong, but when together sound a bit too familiar/modern for these ears. Ignoring that, we have a strong DM album, if an unlikely addition to the HH roster. In the Midst of Life We are in Death’s unusual minor chords and dual dissonance of the guitars sidled with these Dane’s inveterate, trudging percussive marches comprise the catalyst for a musical deadening of the senses, linking the albums’ tracks in a cold chain of longing; a longing for something not fully understood, nor even desired with certainty. Cerekloth administers their brand of Death Metal as an antiseptic for the decaying human condition. And – gloriously – leaves us feeling like the empty vessels we truly are. -Jim
Hells Headbangers
Worm Gear 
This sounds highly intriguing… Gonna try to find this online asap.