This was not expected. When delving into Grave Miasma's backstory, I came across several articles that referred to them as blackened death metal (or simply black/death metal). That instilled comparisons to bands such as Behemoth and Belphegor in my head. This was not a good thing. With all due respect to those two bands, the forerunners of the blackened death metal genre, they have unfortunately spawned countless imitators that rely on nothing but endless blast beats, frenetic riffing, and therefore, lazy songwriting. So it was with much trepidation that I began listening to Odori Sepulcrocum. I have never been more pleased to be so wrong. Despite forming in London all the way back in 2002, this is Grave Miasma's debut album. In their eleven years of existence, they've only released an EP (2009's Exalted Emanation), and a couple of demos and EPs under their original and lovely moniker Goat Molestör (which was changed to their current name in 2008). Taking four years to build off of the promise displayed on Exalted Emanation was a wise decision. There is no lazy songwriting to be found here. The eight tracks on Odori Sepulcrocum are expertly crafted, featuring many twists and turns and tempo changes that showcase the excellent musicianship of the band. This is most evident on the standout track "Ovation to a Thousand Lost Reveries." The song begins with a blast of furious guitar and drums, garnished with a very brief but face-melting squeal of a guitar solo, only to slow to a half-time crawl twenty seconds later. And that's just a small example of the tempo changes and time signature shifts to be found within the song. It's not as unpredictable and off-putting as what you would find in a typical mathcore song, but it's just as impressive. About that description of blackened death metal; this is not your average blackened death metal album. It can actually be argued that there is very little about Grave Miasma that can be considered "blackened," other than the lyrical themes of occultism and the unsettling atmosphere of the production. This becomes apparent from the opening moments of the first track, "Death's Meditative Trance," which chugs along at a doom metal pace for the first ninety seconds before erupting into punishing death metal that wouldn't be out of place on an album like Altars of Madness. Instead of the aforementioned Behemoth and Belphegor, Grave Miasma's sound is more akin to old school death metal, such as early Morbid Angel and Autopsy, as well as some serious Incantation worship. They've self-described their sound as "occult death metal," which is much more fitting given those influences and the malevolent sounds they produce. The real highlight of this album is the production, and enough praise cannot be given to the producer Jaime Gomez Arellano of London's Orgone Studios. The use of reverb throughout gives the album a dreadful, cavernous atmosphere that perfectly captures the evil spoken about in the lyrics. It has a very ancient and uneasy feel to it, as if you're wandering aimlessly in a long forgotten tomb, desperate to find an exit. The drums reap the most benefits from this production job, with a monstrous and pummeling sound that commands your attention in every track. The dense fog that hangs over every song does not take away from individual instrumentation, though, as you might expect. The creepy bass line in the opening minute of "έαο" (which is Greek for either "last" or "ultimate") is accentuated just enough to set it apart in the mix to be heard but not become overbearing or distracting. It's a masterful production job, and one of the best I've heard all year. So yes, going into this album expecting a lame Belphegor tribute and getting one of the best death metal albums of recent memory instead was definitely unexpected. While the excellent production makes for a captivating listen in and of itself, the tight songwriting and musicianship is just as good, and sets Grave Miasma apart from the other revivalists of old school death metal, who often go for the feel of those older albums while sacrificing the need for good songs. Odori Sepulcrorum is destined to make several Best Of The Year lists, and is one of the best and most impressive metal debuts to come along in a very long time.