Hailing from Stuttgart, Germany’s AXETASY formed in 2020 with influences that belied their young age – namely, the speed metal, thrash, and black metal stalwarts of the ‘80s. Not for nothing is their furious, stubbornly obscure sound stuck there: while you’re busy checking the calendar year, AXETASY have already dragged you into the insane depths of morbid ecstasy! Now, after a debut and a couple digital singles, AXETASY charge the gates of Hell with their full-length debut, Withering Tides. After the short, scene-setting intro, Withering Tides gallops away into heavy metal heaven with a sound that’s strikingly familiar yet somehow unique – strange magick, indeed! The four youngsters of AXETASY soon prove their mettle with a straightforward rush of just-black-enough speed metal dotted with tasty, atmospheric melodies and technically demanding passages. This is not the usual blackthrash trip; rare is it to find a modern band nailing the etched-in-time, Walls of Jericho-era Helloween sound with this much aplomb. As such, the production of Withering Tides totally befits their funyet-fiery, dark-but-not-completely chassis: gleaming and clean where it needs to be, and just dirty enough underneath. Nightmarish mayhem, for sure, and immediately memorable after just one listen…but you’ll surely be possessed by AXETASY to press “play” 666 times! Swords of steel aloft, AXETASY’s Withering Tides comes heartily recommended for maniacs of labelmates HEXECUTOR and BLACKEVIL as well as former labelmates Sacrifizer, Cruel Force’s more recent work, and Brazil’s Evil Invaders – enter this “Fatal Maze” posthaste!
