Review MAAT “From Origin to Decay”

Maat is a death metal outfit with a passion for ancient Egyptian mythology. This is something the guys from Bernau, Brandenburg have in common with their genre-mates Nile, and the same goes for the blazing fast death metal that the band’s latest release “From Origin to Decay” contains.

The new album is the third after the band’s debut in 2014, followed by “Monuments Will Enslave” in 2017.

The start into the album could be more intense than what “Swath of Destruction” brings to the plate. Fast and furious death metal will wake up the pharaohs in the pyramids. Massive double bass drumming is the driving force. It’s an infernal riff assault that is a true wake-up call.

More interesting is “The Verdict”. Maat reduce the tempo and operate in a more moderate pace without losing their meat cleaver riff approach. And since the song also has an atmospheric component, we are dealing with heaviness and filigree.

Maat shifts gears again with “Ov Water and Gods”. Pushing the pedal to the metal is the motto, while the blood-curdling growls do their part in this sinister musical assault on your ears.

The interludes are well placed. The album has two moments where the sonic sledgehammer makes room for atmospheric moments. “Tribute” is the first one you are confronted with and the oriental “The Lur-King” follows a bit further down on the tracklist. Both contribute to the flow of the album, providing a moment to recover, as both interludes are followed by tracks that unleash the hellhounds once again. Osiris spreads its morbid wings and pulls the listener into the hellish abyss of ancient times.

Towards the end it gets really brutal. It seems that most of the other songs were a prelude to the aggressive “Animosity”, which is the heaviest song on a brutal album.

With all the heaviness, Maat never lose sight of the technical aspect, as each of the songs shows a level of complexity and twists. Even though most of the songs are fast as an arrow, it’s the technical savvy that allows Maat to create tunes that go beyond a simple steam hammer approach.