Review by Michael on October 18, 2026.

Hekatoxen (whatever that name means) from Finland don't exactly hide their death metal influences. Obviously not. The opener, "Lost Souls Epitomy," has the same vocal pattern in its first verse as Entombed's "Stranger Aeons", while the second song, "I Am Them," starts like "Suicide Machine" from Death's "Human". I could go on and mention other bands such as Bolt Thrower or Demigod, but I guess you'll figure it out for yourself.

This might not sound too innovative, but that's really not my main point of criticism regarding Obsidian Majesty, the Finns' debut, released via Greek label Nuclear Winter Records. Actually, I don't have too much to criticise, apart from the slightly short running time of 35 minutes.

This might not seem like a valid point of criticism, but when an album rushes by that quickly, it certainly feels that way to me. The eight songs are highly diverse and, of course, aren't just cover versions of the aforementioned bands (plus many more). The guys have a very clever approach here, allowing different influences to creep into their gloomy compositions, which sound downright sinister.

The vocals are deep, guttural grunts, making it sound as if vocalist Jussi (who is also active in the fabulous grind band Sonic Poison) were stuck somewhere in a cold, murky Finnish swamp. The guitars are tuned down to an insanely heavy level, and the drums are peppered with attacking blast beats. These are all the right ingredients for some more or less obscure death metal, and they work very well.

As you could tell from my opening remarks, Hekatoxen don't reinvent anything here, and personally, I prefer this stuff to any strange keyboard-heavy, female-fronted, vegan, bubble-tea-slurping hipster death metal. This is no laughing matter; this is PURE death metal worship. It sounds super-anachronistic, like something that was hidden away in the early '90s and has just been rediscovered in an attic.

The only thing that might sound a little better than it did back then is the production. It's powerful and full of raw energy, making it one of the best death metal productions of the last couple of years. I've listened to this album several times now and still can't find anything to complain about. Maybe I need to check it out with a pair of super-expensive Bose headphones to find some flaws.

If you'd like to take a nostalgic trip and believe that the first two Entombed albums, technical Death (NOT that terrible "The Sound Of Perseverance"), old Bolt Thrower, and the first Demigod album constitute the death metal bible, you should order Obsidian Majesty immediately. As I said, this is death metal in its purest form, without any balderdash, just some good old rotten shit!

Rating: 9 out of 10