Review by Alex on December 3, 2018.

This effort by Terranaut and Chaosophy whom contrast each other greatly in terms of playing styles and genres is an interesting release when analyzing both the production quality and the musical standards of both these projects. Terranaut plays a form of early 2nd wave black metal mixed with raw black metal, hence the loudly mixed guitars and the almost inaudible bass guitar. Chaosophy however, play a form of black metal that can be aligned with the more melodic side of the genre, also the production is noticeably cleaner than that of Terranaut on the split recording. Terranaut’s sound creates the impression that the band members intended to put forth something that appeared to mimic the time in which 1st wave black metal was transitioning into the era of second wave black metal. This incorporated the use of keyboards and possessed either a fairly symphonic or melodic sound. It's a clash of old and modern eras of black metal, both performances pick at the selected time frames in a decent representation of both. 

Terranaut’s side of the split is filled with massive landscapes that blends melancholy along with the pagan influenced style of black metal. “Foretold Demise” is the best example of the merging of theses two styles. The soaring guitar tremolo shares the spotlight with that folky style often heard on pagan black metal records. “Remnants” focuses more on creating a fierce, warlike atmosphere; the thrashing segment on this track comes across as a very convincing nod to first wave black metal. Though this effect was not used as long as I would have liked it to be, for its short lived presence it did do enough to give the music enough depth. Opening with an instrumental I can accept, but closing with one is often rejected by my musical preference in composition choices. However, “Futile Legacy” was excellently composed and gave Terranaut’s portion of the split a greater feeling of completion and even helped in the ushering in of the Chaosophy side. I see this a very thoughtful move as it shows that Terranaut is committed to the long term goal of success. 

Chaosophy’s side of the split features 3 songs that are roughly 8 minutes a piece. “Whores of The Christ God” begins with a short instrumental that bursts into a melodic groovy fury of sickening snarls that conveys the feeling of hatred excellently. The song title is blasphemous enough but the vocals really up the tempo on the disdain. This track also has the addition of synth that is exquisite whenever used; in those moments I felt as though I was listening to Lost Horizon’s A Flame To The Ground Beneath. “Serpents of Thoughtless Light” kept the keyboard synth in the slower sections of the song but lowered the volume of its mix to blend with the guitar landscapes being painted. He track displayed the transition of speed and graceful melody back and forth. It’s a piece of music that deserves much praise for elegantly mixing styles in a harmonious fashion. It doesn’t sound like parts were tossed in to just fulfill the purpose of variation, instead it displays to the listener how each note played on any musical piece should be connected in order to present an authentic representation of the feelings and themes being expressed through the medium. 

Both bands provided acceptable performances on the split, with each doing a fantastic job of keeping the atmospheric influence high.

Rating: 8.2 out of 10 

Review by Alex on March 1, 2024.

Skeletal Remains are at least 26 years late with this release. What is presented on Devouring Mortality is neither new nor innovative. It has been done much better by countless death metal bands in the early 90s and is still being done by bands such as Cannibal Corpse and Pestilence. Skeletal Remains attempt to mix the vocals of Death's Chuck Schuldiner and the musical techniques of Cannibal Corpse, Pestilence (early) and the riff work of Suffocation (good luck with the Suffocation part). As a result of its poor execution, the album suffers greatly in terms of its coherence.

The first track feels very soulless and does not readily engage or picks at the listener's interest. This continues up until "Devouring Mortality" which is the 4th track; that's about 20 minutes until I truly felt like listening to the complete album. "Devouring Mortality" is a much better song that features arguably the best guitar work solo-wise and is one of the shorter tracks on the album. The song blends some key elements of the aforementioned bands into one cohesive ball of rhythmic synergy. After hearing it, I was much more eager to hear what would follow next. Unfortunately, the very next track, "Torture Labyrinth", decided to drag me back to the uneventfulness of the first 3 tracks and torture me. This was such a bummer; it poured water on the candle that was lit after hearing "Devouring Mortality"; what was even worse is that I had to wait until "Parasitic Horrors" before my interest was reignited.

"Parasitic Horrors" is not devoid of filler; however, It keeps it at a minimal level, perhaps the lowest on the album. It does what "Devouring Mortality" did but to much greater effect. The pace of the song begins at a moderate speed and is then ramped up after the catchy guitar solo. For once I actually found the thrashing sections of the song to be a welcoming feature in comparison to the prior tracks with the exception of "Devouring Mortality". My interest had peaked again but unfortunately not for very long.

The 3 tracks following "Parasitic Horrors" made an attempt at maintaining my interest but fell short in doing so. "Lifeless Manifestation" was one of those "hmmmm" tracks but with a huge question mark at the end. The remainder of the album resembled a rollercoaster, with "Reanimating Pathogen" lacking any validity thus resulting in an easily forgotten effort. Then we take the high road as the rollercoaster climbs to perhaps the best track on the album "Internal Detestation". This track is crushing, it lasts for 4:09 and mashes the gas pedal with its full weight. Like on a drag racing strip; it revs, hits top speed and makes its exit at the finish line. This is what the album should have consisted of, fast memorable tracks.

The production is excellent, the guitar work is good enough, the drumming is nothing special and the vocals, though not to my liking, is ok (I'm using "ok" forgivingly). The artwork is very reminiscent of the style found on Suffocations "Souls To Deny". There is also a short section featuring something you would hear on a Rings of Saturn release that can be found on the track "Mortal Decimation". And that's about all the positives about Devouring Mortality.

If you're going to implement styles from different death metal bands, it is imperative that you do so strategically, such that the album has synergism, rather than resemble a scattered gaffe of marbles.

Rating: 2.9 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on July 20, 2019.

Definitely some solid death metal in the vein of Death/Pestilence/Obituary etc. I would have to say that some of the guitar riffs reflected that of Death's "Spiritual Healing." Very similar vibe to it. The music and production quality make up for that aspect. This one I thought is a better listen to than their previous album, though I thought both were pretty strong.

This is for sure a better produced album than the previous album Condemned To Misery. The vocals are the same, but the production quality is top notch on this one. The guitar riffs are catchy, not necessarily too fast but the leads are wicked. I enjoyed that aspect of the guitars, too. Not just the riffs, I felt the leads were very well conducted. The music is solid death metal with tints of melodic parts in it as well. They really do know how to make some quality music. The main rhythms are heavy alongside the melodic parts, very good and well-orchestrated music altogether. This one I was skeptical about but when I heard it for the first time I was blown away. The production is what I noticed at first to be very strong. And the music totally a joy to listen to for death metal lovers.

Be a supporter of extreme metal and purchase this one, show the band that you are interested and want them to stay around for a while. This one is one you can't leave out of your death metal collection!

Rating: 9 out of 10