Russia’s Gravegod are back with album number two, Sermon Under Mound. Their debut in 2022, Promised Graveland, was a decent debut. Combining elements of early Morbid Angel and Brutality, there is a certain Floridian old-school death metal sound to them, from the swamps of Tampa.
The band stays intact with this album, with Anatoly on bass, Efim on drums, Vyacheslav on guitars, and Ivan behind the vox. In the promo, bassist Anatoly (Katalepsy) singled me out to review their newest offering, so I had to jump at the chance to review the album. The new album cover is pretty neat and I think it is a better album design than their debut album. With this album, we get eight songs in 45 minutes.
“Beneath Unhallowed Ground” opens with a bunch of growly and berating vocals, with the music slowly coming together to start building up. This opening goes on for a while with those shouted vocals, and it’s a bit much, since the vocals are way too loud in the mix, although they are very good. The music still retains the old-school Morbid Angel/Brutality flair as a blast beat enters into the picture. Anatoly’s bass still retains the bite and pluckiness that was present on the Katalepsy albums. He has a great bass guitar sound. The blast is ferocious, with some dual-layered vocals, at times. The stomp groove at the 3.25 section features prominent bass work and I do love the sound of the snare drum. Vocals are angry and vicious, just a bit too loud in the mix.
“Condemned to Eden Below” has an excellent rhythm section early on, and it shoots right into the blast beat, then slows down to a mid-paced crunch fest. If you’re not swigging back pints of vodka and slamming, during this part, you need to go back to bed. There are some bendy guitar riffs and then a nice groove section which is sure to get a pit going. The pinch harmonics are tight and it’s always good to hear them well-placed in a song. The tempo shifts are tremendous and there is a guitar solo, that fits in well. Some of the bendy riffage has an Immolation flair. Yet another good song.
“Forever Unsaved”, with some of the spoken-word moments early on, takes on a rap approach. Hearing Ivan, with his thick Russian accent, is an interesting style. Maybe on the third album we will get this style fully realized on a song. For now, it is inserted to have a tough-guy sound to it. So watch out! This song is surprisingly melodic with some progressive and off-kilter time changes. The song sounds rather complicated to play, and there is a squealing guitar in the middle of the song. There are moments where I do not know if I should headbang, throw up my horns or just relax, like I am reading a book near the fire. This song is all over the place. It’s pretty cool, especially the bass solos towards the end of the song; damn, he is fast.
“None Shall Be” ends the album with more of a brooding and heavy buildup. This beginning is slower and quite excellent. There are more atmospherics, taking us on a dreamscape path, before that mid-paced stomp drives home the message. The blasts and progressive/serene moments all tie together with Ivan’s excellent and varied vocals. What a great song to end the album.
Sermon Under Mound is a damn fine death metal album from Gravegod. It beats their debut with song structure, and I quite enjoy the variety of tempos the band tosses in. The musicianship is spot on, with Anatoly’s bass work having the best bass guitar sound on a death metal album for 2026. The band knows when to blast and to utilize it to their advantage and not overdo it. Sure, the vocals are a bit too loud in the mix, but outside of that, everything sounds good. Crank this sucker up, Nostrovia!
