Review by Carl on December 27, 2020.

There are some labels that I have a special fondness for. To give you an example, whenever I see the Wild Rags, Distortion or United Guttural logo on a release, I'll buy it without much hesitation. More recent labels that can count on this unconditional love are Dark Descent, Sevared and Spain's Memento Mori. And it's the last one mentioned here that gave us Filtheater's first full length. The label likened the band's sound to acts such as Autopsy, Nuclear Death, Incantation and Entety. I don't know about you but that shit's right up my alley. Seeing as it is one of my favorite labels, I ordered it without hesitation. I've got it on repeat for a week now, and what a rager it is!

This is a vitriolic maelstrom of chaotic death metal fury, simple as that. Blight of Sempiternal Putrefaction is without a doubt one of the most menacing albums of these last few years. Imagine Incantation's "Diabolical Conquest'' but grimier. Way grimier. The downtuned guitars and chaotic riffing blend together perfectly with the raging drumming to create a dense atmosphere of filth and fury. A thick and dirty production tops it all off brilliantly. There is very little in the way of melody or unnecessary interludes, this awesome beast of an album just relentlessly bludgeons you to death. Most of the music rages on at high speed, only taking the foot of the accelerator for the occasional interlude and slow part here and there. The sick riffing, the frantic percussion, the puked vocal delivery and the great cover art, for me this is pure art. Truly the essence of putrid death metal in my opinion.

This certainly isn't for the weak of heart. It's heavy, crushing and the overall execution is about as subtle as hitting a baby over the head with a hammer. If you like the bands mentioned above, you can snatch this up without hesitation. And if you can stomach stuff like Brodequin, Pissgrave and Adversarial as well, there's a pretty good chance you'll have a good time with Filtheater too. I know I do.

As a conclusion: the year may be only half way but I think I've got my album of the year already. Recommended!

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Adam M on April 1, 2021.

Ghosts Of Atlantis bring an innovative symphonic style to the table. While similar to the likes of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth, this band is decidedly less black metal than those. What we have here is a more traditional symphonic style that perhaps has a more death metal influence. It would not be incorrect to compare the band to the likes of Septic Flesh, as this band emits a similar flavour.

The outfit is clean enough sounding and displays a great diversity in their sound. Songs are vibrant and full of energy and showcase a new band coming into its own. One could also compare the band to Fleshgod Apocalypse, though they are less vicious. Regardless, a very full of lie approach leads to a relatively upbeat style. The vocals alternate between harsh and clean types, but normally stick to the harsh style. The interspersion of keyboards adds a nice touch to the guitars and the whole thing sounds very colourful. A more progressive approach might give Ghosts Of Atlantis even more success, but they are certainly bombastic enough. Like Septic Flesh it takes some time to adjust to the music, but it is quite accessible regardless. The band straddles the line between death and black metal, but tends more towards the former.

The amount of dynamics present means that the album is always able to maintain your interest, though an even greater use of these would lead to a more interesting listening. While not the most exceptional symphonic metal album, enough is on offer here to be very interesting on most points. With even more refinement the band could be a force to be reckoned with. As it stands, Ghosts Of Atlantis have a hit with their debut that should appeal to a wide variety of symphonic metal fans around the globe.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10