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MAUL
Seraphic Punishment

Redefining Darkness / Gurgling Gore (2022)
Rating: 8/10

Seraphic Punishment is the debut full-length album from Fargo, North Dakota-based Maul, and one of those long awaited death metal records from a band that has until this point spent its entire career throwing out split projects, demos and singles. In my opinion though it’s good when a band bides its time rather than rushing to get a record out.

Maul’s offering – as past releases have suggested – mixes some excellent slower, crushing entities with the expected faster blasts of aggression, exemplified on the brilliant opener ‘Of Human Frailty’ where the band really excels when it comes to dense, doomier trudging.

I have to admit to preferring the darker, deeper vocal growls of Garrett Alvarado over his tendencies to squeal, but for the most part this is an album dappled with killer, chugging gore-soaked riffs (‘Deity Demise’), filth-ridden trudging (‘Oracular Burial Grounds’) and crisper, thrashier segments (‘Infatuation’).

Throughout its 37 minute duration though, Seraphic Punishment remains an old school death record with obvious nods to the slurping depravity of Autopsy and the devastating riffage of, say, Immolation. In-between you get trends of crusty Carcass driven by the sickening axe work of Anthony Lamb and Al Nikolas who heighten the horror two-fold with their playing.

My only real criticism here is the all-too infrequent use of the keyboards which bring a great atmosphere. However, with its putridly purple sleeve art and those flourishes of Finnish extremity too, Maul’s debut is feisty, meaty, energetic and yet somehow a bit different even with its obvious influences. Punish yourself and purchase.

Neil Arnold

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