AN NCS PREMIERE: UNCHURCH — “PILGRIMAGE TO ABYSS”

(written by Islander)

“UNCHURCH is an atrocity that emerges from the depths of the Chilean death metal scene in late 2022, where three entities form the strident disharmonies of this new act of violence manifesting from the abyss. Thus, this project, oriented toward anti-Christianity and harrowing death metal, with varied influences within the genre, is born, creating a tripartite conversation between primitive and technical metal, without losing the dark and bestial essence of death.”

That’s the introduction provided by the respected Mexican label Chaos Records, whose ears were caught by Unchurch via the band’s debut release in 2023, a self-produced EP rightly named Ode to Blasphemy. Having been invigorated by that sonic excursion into hell, the label is now set to release the self-titled debut album of these furious blasphemers on November 14th — and we’ve got the fiendish pleasure of premiering its first single today, a surging brain-exploder named “Pilgrimage To Abyss“.

That four-song debut EP of Unchurch is an electrifying amalgam of blistering and bludgeoning death metal, often pitch black in its soul, riotous in its fury, but also technically jaw-dropping, with a multitude of head-spinning and mind-scrambling instrumental eccentricities and time changes executed by every performer. It’s no wonder Chaos Records embraced what Unchurch were doing.

“Insane” is one of the words that continually pops to mind in listening to that EP again, in part because the music’s savagery is so rabid but mainly because the fretwork (including that of the incredibly nimble bassist) is so freakishly wild, so unexpectedly peculiar, and so jaw-dropping in its speed and dexterity. And that’s not to detract from the drum-work, which is also speedy and unhinged, or the vocals, which are hellishly bestial but also veer into diabolical singing.

Having heard that frankly astounding EP, straight through its hallucinatory instrumental closing track “Caveman Suffering In Hell,” it’s not a surprise to this listener that the song we’re now premiering is such a blood-rushing, neuron-knotting rush — evil and feral but also thoroughly dazzling.

Once again, Unchurch live in the fast lane. Once again, they pack the song with weirdly swirling, bizarrely darting, brazenly blaring, and viciously churning fretwork, backed by jet-fueled drumming and fronted by imperiously hateful growls and snarls (and some possessed proclamations). The spiraling, dive-bombing, and deliriously convulsive guitar solos are a huge thrill in the midst of all the other thrills.

And like the songs on the EP, this new one somehow manages to set hooks in a listener’s head despite how extravagantly and exuberantly demented it is.

UNCHURCH are:
ROD – Guitar/Vocals
CRAM – Bass/Vocals
STRIFE – Drums

The new album was mixed and mastered by Rod Serrano at GSR Studio. The album artwork was created by Daniel Hermosilla of Nox Fragor Art, under the creative concept of José Strife. For more info about Unchurch, check out the locations linked below. Orders will eventually become available through Chaos Records at the links we’ve provided for them

UNCHURCH:
https://unchurch.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/unchurch.dm/
https://www.facebook.com/unchurch666
https://www.youtube.com/@UNCHURCHMETAL

CHAOS RECORDS:
https://www.chaos-records.com/
https://chaos-records.bandcamp.com/