With membership from the blinding light regions of Portugal, The Ominous Circle is a burning black sphere of sinuous torment taking shape over their native land. Appalling Ascension is their initiation into this upper physical world, undulating like a prophesied curse into the increasing chaos of modern “life.” While the reverent tropes of contemporary Death Metal will be recognizable to Circle adherents, the cauldron is mixed in myriad conjurations that stray from the safety where inferior forces are prone to linger. Moments of oppressive Death Doom, grinding blasts of mania, rancid melodies and mid-tempo dynamic necromancy on tracks like “From Endless Chasms” and “As The Worm Descends” canonize these odious psalms into timeless lore. The obsession of late by some to ignore songwriting in favor of cavernous ambient suffocating “evil” doesn’t play on Appalling Ascension—here instead, and most welcome, are crushing and barbarous Dark Death Metal songs to which initiates may devote themselves, as it enters into the pantheon of memorable debut recordings. And in the fashion of the most auspicious horror, this is only the beginning...