{"id":14716,"date":"2025-05-16T14:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T18:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/?p=14716"},"modified":"2025-05-18T20:12:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T00:12:35","slug":"review-decayed-existence-the-beginning-of-sorrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavensmetalmagazine.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/16\/review-decayed-existence-the-beginning-of-sorrows\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Decayed Existence \u2013 The Beginning of Sorrows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Review – Decayed Existence – The Beginning of Sorrows<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When one thinks of early Christian death metal bands, the first ones that probably come to mind are Mortification and Living Sacrifice, maybe Metanoia and Crimson Thorn as well. But who out there thinks immediately of Decayed Existence? Up until a little while ago, I had no idea that this band even existed as long as they had. An argument could be made for their 1990 demo for being the first Christian death metal release, except for the fact that they were allegedly not always a Christian-themed band. Regardless, they\u2019ve never stopped since forming, releasing several albums and EP\u2019s along the way. The Beginning of Sorrows <\/em>is only the latest EP in a long line of releases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Beginning of Sorrows<\/em> Review<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think of it this way. This is old-school death metal, proper, played by an actual old-school death metal band. But with this release, there is certainly some correlation between Decayed Existence and the retrodeath movement that\u2019s been a huge deal for the last ten odd years. The similarity is this – the big names in new OSDM all wear their influences on their sleeves, and so do Decayed Existence. The secular OSDM bands as of late often draw from bands like Incantation, Demilich, Timeghoul, Morbid Angel, and Death; here, Decayed Existence draw heavily from the death metal side of Mortification, but also bear some similarities on here with Feast Eternal and Crimson Thorn. Not that the band just draws on Christian influences – I totally can hear some Nexus of Teeth<\/em>-era Hyperdontia on \u201cEscape the Dead\u201d and that\u2019s a good thing. \u201cBaptized\u201d and \u201cMind Wars\u201d echo Mortification at their heavier moments (think Erasing the Goblin<\/em>), I hear a bit of deathcore on \u201cBeheading the Colossus\u201d (I feel like modern death metal acts just can\u2019t help themselves sometimes and just have to <\/em>throw in those elements), and \u201cBeginning of Sorrows\u201d blends the Mortification vibes with (I swear) some doomy passages that sound like they could of come off of My Dying Bride\u2019s Turn Loose the Swans<\/em>. An interesting mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, The Beginning of Sorrows<\/em> sounds like a long lost Mortification record in some ways, but blended together with some of the noise being puked out by modern OSDM bands. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an added bonus, the EP throws in some brutal live tracks as well that are well recorded and give a sample of the band\u2019s onstage power (check out \u201cWhere Death Dies\u201d for some cool Living Sacrifice vibes thrown in the mix). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Themes and Lyrics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decayed Existence\u2019s main lyrical thrust is mostly to do with personal struggle against sin. \u201cBeheading the Colossus\u201d uses the metaphor of a giant to illustrate the seeming insurmountableness of our own sins and failings, but encourages us to overcome this giant in Christ. \u201cMind Wars\u201d touches on the endless negativity on the news as signs of the last age, but also seems to focus on it all as a way to keep us distracted and asleep. It reminded me of a quote I read by Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos: \u201cDon\u2019t sit glued to the television\u2026Guard yourselves from the means of mass blinding.\u201d Other tracks such as \u201cEscape the Dead\u201d deal with rejecting false religions. Along with personal struggle on a spiritual level, the theme of one\u2019s being controlled by other sources in lieu of surrender to God runs throughout the record. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, The Beginning of Sorrows<\/em> sounds like a long lost Mortification record in some ways, but blended together with some of the noise being puked out by modern OSDM bands. Guitars are heavy, grinding, and decidedly ugly. The drums have that cavernous effect that functions as a timewarp straight to the early 90\u2019s. As a huge fan of the sounds peddled by much of the new wave of OSDM, it\u2019s great to see the Christian scene churning out something similar, but drawing on the Christian greats as well as the secular ones. The Christian metal world needs more of this, and hopefully we\u2019re going to see more of this kind of thing coming down the pipes. Definitely recommended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Fans Of<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n