MAUL – Desecration and Enchantment (EP)
Release Date: 17th November 2023
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Bandcamp
Genre: Heavy Fucking Death Metal
FFO: 200 Stab Wounds, Tribal Gaze, Nothingness, Sanguisugabogg.
Review By: Eric Wilt
The one thing that stuck out to me about Maul’s debut full-length, Seraphic Punishment, was its unrelenting heaviness. Whereas a lot of bands these days rely on technicality to wow the listener, Maul simply clubs the listener over the head with a sledgehammer of sludgy hardcore and D-beat influenced old-school death metal. It’s a combination of styles that has, along with their live show, which features resident mad-man, vocalist, Garrett Alvarado, won the heart of many a death metal fan over the course of the last few years. Having recently signed to 20 Buck Spin, Maul is releasing a two or three song EP called Desecration and Enchantment on 17 November 2023.
The digital version, which is the one I am reviewing, features two tracks, one of which appears to be two songs in one called The Sacred and the Profane/Hovering, Sinking. On the cassette available from 20 Buck Spin, The Sacred and Profane is labeled song 1 and Hovering, Sinking is labeled song 2, but there isn’t a time-gap between the songs, so it comes off as one long track. With this song(s), Maul isn’t necessarily trying to branch out into new musical territory. It’s still super-heavy, and Alvarado’s anguished screams and low gutturals are as menacing as ever. If Maul has a big departure from their typical sound in the works, it may be hinted at in the second track entitled Disintegration of the Soul, which sees Maul delve closer to progressive death metal than ever in the past. Clocking in at 8:45, the song gives the band time to let the atmosphere grow and breathe before bringing it home in a flourish of melodic black metal influenced riffing. The final song on the album is only available on the cassette. It’s called Worshipping Self-Deviance, and you’ll have to shell out some moolah if you want to know if it’s any good.
After spending some time with Desecration and Enchantment, I am even more stoked for Maul’s 20 Buck Spin debut. Seraphic Punishment was an instant purchase the second I heard it; it’s just such fun, heavy music, and it is really infectious. I have no doubt that whatever the band has in the works will be as enjoyable, if not more so, but in the meantime, Desecration and Enchantment should be just the thing to keep you going until the full-length drops. 
(4 / 5)
