Release Date: 1st May 2023
We may be pushing on to the end of 2023, but there’s still plenty of music out there that we just haven’t been able to bring you yet. That includes If These Bodies Could Talk, the debut EP from South Korean death/black metal mob Doguul. At six tracks you might be forgiven for thinking a metal EP, especially one with blackened influences, would trundle on for about two and a half hours. Not here though, Doguul keep things short and…well not sweet but whatever the black metal equivalent would be. Short and tarry? Anyway…
Six woven tracks of high octane metal with brutal vocals are enough to fill a frightfully fancy 666 seconds and some of the names of the tracks are delightful. ‘The Collector’ opens proceedings, thunder and (I assume) lightning follow and we’re in. A deep, guttural bellow and the destruction of drums ensues.
We’re in and before you know it ‘Disemboweled’ is upon you. The chorus of sorts here just consists of the title of the track being deeply poured into your ears, a delightfully short and fun way of sectioning the track. ‘Bludgeoned’ does something similar but really here the focus shifts to more brutal drums and an aural assault.
Moving through ‘Inhumed’ in a similar fashion, though a little more doom comes through in the riffs here during the first half of the track at least. ‘Castrated’ has a more hard rock feel to it and relents the pace a little initially. Don’t worry though, normal service is resumed. The longest track on the record closes out the piece. ‘Immolated’, at just over two and a half minutes is almost a drawn out ballad in comparison. Here punkier elements come to the fore, all wrapped up in a lovely metal jacket.
It’s not too often you get to hear some South Korean black metal, the real big shame here though is that it’s just six short songs. Big riffs, fun and expansive drumming and bruising vocals come together perfectly. Get over to their Bandcamp to support them directly.