(((O))) Review: Celestial Sanctuary – Insatiable Thirst For Torment

With their fearsome, focussed and passionate approach to the brutality of death metal, Celestial Sanctuary have undoubtedly made a big impression in a short time span. Their debut album Soul Diminished gained both plaudits and fans alike, who adored the bands ferocity and it felt like a shot in the arm for UKDM, and saw the band expand their status and play bigger stages with the likes of death metal masters Obituary and Cattle Decapitation, and sounding right at home.

That shot in the arm returns, even bigger, better and justifiably more brutal as Celestial Sanctuary return with their second album Insatiable Thirst For Torment on Church Road Records and it is fair to say that the band have grown in stature with a massive sounding record, packed full of fearsome riffs, crawling grooves and commanding, guttural vocals.

Insatiable Thirst For Torment starts as it means to go on with opening statement ‘Trapped Within The Rank Membrane’ and it shows exactly how confidently the band have become with their songs as it starts with a colossal sounding instrumental intro  (with some impressive guitar work setting the tone tremendously) before the vocals take control and it is one hell of a way to open the album up.

From the on on, it is killer song after killer song as the band slay through the likes of ‘Swivel Eyed And Gurning Through The Shadows’, Meandering Stream Of Foul Fluid’, The Lurid Glow Of A Dead Burning Body’ and the title track of the album with razor sharp precision, and you can vividly hear that Celestial Sanctuary are playing their hearts out on these songs.

This sublimely horrific collection of songs ends in perfect fashion with the unforgiving ‘Gutted With A Blunt Blade’ which closes things with as much impact as the title suggests, and the blood soaked whirlwind of death metal that has been destroying all in its path finally ceases, waiting to be put on again and the audio killing spree can start again.

With Insatiable Thirst For Torment, Celestial Sanctuary have made their death metal assault sound even bigger and this is a band who thoroughly deserve all the glory that this album will get them as they are a band who have put the hard work in and are deadly serious about their craft, and the results are plain to see with this beautifully venomous and unforgivingly brutal record.