A few years ago, Church of the Dead was slinging EPs out left, right, and center. Now they are back with a new lead singer and a full-length album.

Operating out of Helsinki, Finland, Church of the Dead has enjoyed a respected place in the local heavy music scene. The band released five EPs between 2013 and 2015: Stay Out of My Grave (2013), Terror Tales (2013), Rave to the Grave (2013), Meet Me in the Tomb (2014), and Forever Dead (2015). Things were quiet for a while after that, until the 2019 single “Rat King” which had a reimagining of “Reanimating the Flesh of the Damned” on the B-side. With all this work and experience under their collective belt, it was clearly time for a full length album.

The musical style is a classic brand of Death Metal – think Celtic Frost with gruffer vocals and you are on the right path. Bolt Thrower is another style similarity. Church of the Dead has additional influences, stylistic nuances, and differences that set them well apart. The line-up now is the same as it has been all along except for the new singer: Jussi Salminen (vocals), Kride Lahti (guitar), Antti Poutanen (bass), and Tommi Makkonen-Viheriälehto (drums).

The music relies on riff and rhythm, and the lead guitar appearances are low key or play a harmony role. Stand-out tracks are “Coffincraft,” which made me nostalgic and wrapped me like a hoary cloak, “Nekrovulture,” because it creates a stout, roaring presence that absolutely rips, and “The Abyss” – the last one being the keystone that holds together the essence of the music in the set and acts like the banner a warring army waves on the battlefield as it advances.

Church of the Dead is out now. The quickest grab is Bandcamp. Most of the earlier EPs are available on Spotify and other streaming services if you want to give them a listen as well. The band’s entire canon is solid. Recommended.

Links.

https://www.facebook.com/ChurchOfTheDead/

https://churchofthedead.bandcamp.com/album/church-of-the-dead