Album Review: Superstition - The Anatomy Of Unholy Transformation

Superstition - The Anatomy Of Unholy Transformation

20 Buck Spin - 2019

7.5/10

A couple years back, 20 Buck Spin unleashed the first full-length of a death metal outfit that would mostly be described as degraded and desolate. While not really in line with the blackened-death sound, Santa Fe’s Superstition put out a brand that has a hateful feeling through coarse sound quality and pummeling rhythm. The Anatomy Of Unholy Transformation is their first full-length after two demos. Being brief enough, its rough landing is rather compelling.

To achieve this sound, pummeling drums carried by blast-beats and noisy riffs fuse for a muddy bottom that matches the echoing and harsh vocals that avoid the guttural range entirely. Achieved is a bleak feeling of emptiness, save for the somewhat helpless wails that the lead guitars let out. The fact that those are rather clean compared to everything else is pretty fair evidence that this was an intentional contradiction, successfully blending emotion (using that word pretty liberally here) and intensity. Sometimes, the lead sections will let off a riffier build, usually acting as a simpler and straightforward chance for some air.

Thirty-four minutes of this is manageable, especially within the death metal genre. The Anatomy Of Unholy Transformation manages to jump around just enough to make the writing feel focused. Lyrics centered around hellish experience coat loads of evil, which fit the overall sound that admittedly can feel repetitive at times. It’s difficult to tell songs apart from one another, even to the trained ear, but thankfully most of them have moments that make the overall ride enjoyable. All three “Unholy Transformation” parts focus more on the gritty hatred aspect, while the likes of “Spiritual Sundrance” may sprinkle some cleaner flavors.

Thus, I have to give Superstition some credit for being pretty original in taking the classic genre to harsh, unforgiving levels without needing to rely on black metal reinforcement. It makes a decent impression while not being overly strong in the individual standout department, which is fine for a shorter release. Those who appreciate noisy atmospheres that don’t distort the base structure would understand. In other words, if you like your extreme metal to have a definite shape with some sharp and burred edges, this may be for you.