Hell's Headbangers : 2009
Format : CD

Satanic old school Death Metal is rarely a totally bad thing. Even when not at its most outstanding and memorable, there's just something in old school Death Metal with sinister Satanic overtones that hits home. So too in the case of Danish Cerekloth, who on this four-track EP unleash three own compositions' and a Deicide-covers' worth of darkness reeking of old death.

Let's start with the worst first: the Deicide cover. I am seriously bewildered by the fact that anyone would go so far as to record a version of Lunatic Of God's Creation and release it, let alone on a release with just four tracks, where it's prone to stand out. As you'll surely know, the original is one of those monumental classics that define what Satanic Death Metal is all about; to this day, it stands as a milestone few in the years since have managed to equal or top. Of course, Cerekloth fail to do the song much justice, and quite miserably so. The cover isn't really all bad, but it's nothing more than a pale shadow of the original, and in the end a complete waste of space. I'd rather have heard another original composition on the EP instead of this.

Cerekloth's own tracks are considerably better, if not exactly the epitome of originality or particularly memorable. Standard old Death Metal with perhaps some grinding and thrashing influences is the name of the game, and whilst definitely not re-inventing the wheel, Cerekloth do what they do quite nicely. I don't think I need to name-drop a lot here for you to get the picture; suffice to say, the Deicide-cover does hit home in one aspect: it instantly puts the band in the correct ballpark as far as style, atmosphere, sound and approach to Death Metal go.

Overall, a very decent EP, and one that does make me interested in hearing more about the band.

Website : myspace.com/cerecloth