Another dose of deformed doomed blackness that came in this week from the Black Mass label (along with that sickoid disc from Disjecta Membrae), Towards Pleroma is a killer debut EP from the band Domains, a Spanish death metal duo. And when I say death metal, I'm talking about old school, diseased, slime-covered, barbaric death metal in the vein of early Incantation, Asphyx, Morgoth, Celtic Frost and Goatlord; ancient, occult death metal insanity smeared across seven songs of gutteral pounding blasphemy, each one a blackened ritual of death-worship and septic skullcrush. Domains have that awesome throwback sound that anyone into the current wave of "NOSDM" (or New School of Old School Death Metal, as coined by the guys over at Decibel Magazine) and death metal atavism will go fucking apeshit for. Brutal riffs, weirdly catchy hooks stitched into the grueling, often doomed and slow-moving riffing, blasting barbaric heaviness with sudden upsurges of thrashing speed, crushing guitar tones...this is my favorite sort of death metal, and Domains are already highly skilled in the form, delivering that noxious brutal heaviness and dank subterranean atmosphere while adding in some interesting touches of their own in the form of some sparse bits of Deathspell-esque ambience and warped, evil minor key melodies. The brief intro track "Privilege Awakes" opens the disc with chiming guitar notes and monstrous minor key creep, then launches full-bore into the crushing death metal of "Mastery", where fast paced thrashing DM becomes interlocked with pulverizing Frost-ian doom and ominous guitar solos soaked in reverb that crawl right out of the pit. Volleys of bulldozing double bass and blackened tremolo riffs lead into the awesome midpaced deathsludge of "Heretics...As Wolves", where Domains dip into some sickening discordant chromatic riffing, and the band even brings in some melody on the last track "Abysses", with a searing bluesy solo that erupts from the crushing DM assault. Totally bad-ass, all the way down to the killer quasi-legible band logo and the grisly occult-themed artwork that adorns Towards Pleroma. The disc comes in at just under a half hour, but every minute is pure bestial death metal punishment; the disc has been on constant replay over here lately, and I'm definitely looking forward to hearing more from Domains...