Formed in the crucible of 2023, Finland's RITUALHAMMER emerge as a formidable force, drawing members from the legacies of Riivaus, Sacrificium Carmen, Mörbid Vomit, Licht Des Urteils, Coraxul, and Wömit Angel among others. While the majority of these members' background centers around black metal, their sound here in RITUALHAMMER is squarely within the most barbaric, violent expressions of death metal. In fact, their self-applied handle is APOCALYPTIC EVIL METAL. And such is exactly what you'll be confronted with on RITUALHAMMER's debut album, Grand Pestilential Flame. Reminding of many and no one, this nine-song / 28-minute statement of ripping, south-of-Heaven death metal begins its assault with no warning nor with no quarter given. Both frantic and finessed, RITUALHAMMER here tempt the corners of chaos with their churning angularity, but their just-tight-enough execution exudes all-too-tangible physicality that's a fist in the face of over-processed / punched-in "death metal." Likewise, their songwriting retains just enough linearity to latch onto and then many a diabolical construct is rubbed raw and rudely spat out, altogether making Grand Pestilential Flame a throwback to the ancient underground. As such, this band and record are highly recommended for maniacs of Order From Chaos, VOMITOR, Peru's Mortem, Germany's Desaster, and even earliest Deicide.