A little less than 3 months after their monstrous split with Spectral Voice, Undergang once again emerge from their fetid depths and offer up a new mini LP De syv stadier af fordærv. This short release contains seven prime cuts of Undergang, clocking in at a tight 21 minutes. However, this level of speed between releases is usually a sign that some tracks are underdeveloped while others are more fleshed out. Cavernous, grimy Death Metal is not a genre that focuses on tight, interesting songwriting and instead focuses on slowly bashing the listener into a paste over a runtime usually in the 30-40 minute mark, and as such needs to have a level of staying power to make people want to come back for repeat listens. Did Undergang reinforce their clubs, or is this EP a swing and a miss from the Danish cavemen?
If you’ve listened to this band before, specifically Misantropologi, then this EP feels like a direct continuation of that album. Short songs, none eclipsing the five minute mark, punctuated with David Torturdød’s feral growls and various other inhuman noises are the order of the day here. The opening track “Død” is an early highlight, starting with a bonafide danceable rhythm and pounding the listener into a pulp for its runtime. It’s not unlike the opening track from Misantropologi, “Efter obduktionen”, although there’s no sample of some doomed soul screaming in Danish at the start. The other highlight here “Livløs i en pøl af egne udskillelser” has an approximation of gang vocals which are fun to shout along to as well as the most interesting songwriting across the whole EP. Unfortunately, while this EP is good, the flaws present on Misantropologi rear their ugly heads again here: short 1 minute songs that are underdeveloped compared to the rest of the album, and a general lack of true identity in the discography. This release would have worked better if Undergang took the concepts that made their songs on the Spectral Voice split so strong and added them to here. The reason why that release worked so well is because the songs felt fresh and fully fleshed out, compared to this EP, which feels like Misantropologi B-sides or some leftovers from Aldrig i livet. Criticisms aside, it’s still a fun EP that is classic Undergang, with no frills, and no prisoners taken: caveman Death Metal from veterans of the scene. Ideally they’ll take more time before the next release but this year has been so full of surprises musically it wouldn’t surprise me if we got another EP or even a new LP early next year.
