Soulburn
Earthless Pagan Spirit

After the release of "The Suffocating Darkness" in 2014, Soulburn returns to the scene with "Earthless Pagan Spirit," showcasing a more defined identity compared to their beginnings and distancing themselves from Asphyx and their conceptual alter ego Grand Supreme Blood Court, whose members are almost entirely found in the new lineup. However, this independence does not seem to benefit the Dutch band's musical offering: while the previous work, though not an extraordinary album, still situated itself in the Asphyx-marked groove, with a more distinctly black metal oriented style, the new effort proves disappointing.

Less impactful compared to the past, with fascinating doom passages, albeit not always well-calibrated, "Earthless Pagan Spirit" shows pronounced ties with Bathory and Celtic Frost, quite evident in the atmospheres of the first four tracks, extended in duration, refined in form: although derivative, they are still reasonably appreciable. From the opener "Where Splendid Corpses Are Towering Towards the Sun," on a fast and aggressive death base, to the pair formed by "The Blood Ascendant" and "Howling at the Heart of Death," where doom acts as a deceleration to the two more extreme styles, culminating with "As Cold as Heaven's Slain," a track summarizing the main characteristics of the band. But starting from "Withering Nights," the level drops, partly due to not always fortunate choices such as the introduction of a female voice and out-of-place arpeggios that shade the style with gothic tones already quite heterogeneous in itself; aspects that we find in "The Torch," a track with a vaguely epic and heavy style, where perplexities increase. "Spirit Asunder" slightly raises the level but suffers from its own length, while, after an almost useless outro, the last track, "The Last Monument Of God," rather varied and enjoyable, gains freshness with thrash inserts into the often bland and repetitive blackened/doom mixture.

Thus, the outcome is not very brilliant for the Soulburn moniker, despite being performed by highly skilled artists, from Eric Daniels, with technically impeccable riffing, to Twan Van Geel, a vocalist of undeniable talent and versatility: potential from which greater inspiration and cohesion, both sonically and in terms of songwriting, are expected, not always up to par. Until next time!