Black Shroud is a quartet from Northwest Ohio debuting their 5 song black/death metal E.P. Death Culture. I liked the variation of the rhythm and tempo without any of the songs losing any grittiness. This is a good, concise black metal E.P. They didn’t waste much time with showing the world what they have to offer with the 7 minute track “Tower of Silence”. There are a lot of different parts to the song that I really liked. It got heavier and faster in some parts and slower and more melodic in others that set the tone for what is to come from this band. It was a great introduction to the band to the diversity that’s in store.
"Immolation of Souls" had a great, upbeat tempo in the middle of the song that carried the rest of the song in different chord progressions. This is my favorite off the E.P., it’s enticing when I’m in a death metal mood. It had a great rhythm guitar I liked following.
One of my favorite parts of "Mellified Man"" was how the bass followed along with the cymbals into a nice groove to listen to while you headbang to the beat of the drums and shout along with the singer.
Overall, I feel like every song was well-written. They had a great mix and production quality, on par with a lot of good underground metal bands. I liked being able to hear every instrument great which is important f or me. I like being able to listen to the qualities of each members’ musicianship.
It’s a solid metal E.P. I highly recommend you keep an eye out for this very new and, I believe, quickly rising band. They’ve already won a Battle of the Bands with just under 2,000 votes. There were great moments where I believe they would be great in a live setting, and I hope I get to see them play out at some point. Hopefully there is a full length album in the works!
