Nefas | Oblation Ov Obliteration EP | Self-Release

 

    Nefas is an American extreme metal group formed as a cross-country collaboration between musicians active in various underground scenes. The band features members of Cryptic Gallbladder Splatter, Bedlam Of Cacophony, Teeth, and Wax People and includes Erik Burkhead-Fernandez on vocals, Rusty Kennedy on bass, Rajan Davis on guitar, and Alejandro Aranda on drums. Drawing from the overlapping territories of deathgrind, dissonant death metal, and tech-forward experimentation, the band formed with a clear intent to push chaos and control into simultaneous existence. Their debut EP, “Oblation Ov Obliteration”, arrives with backing from respected figures in the scene and production handled by Samur Khouja and Erol Ulug.

 “Oblation Ov Obliteration” is a brief, calculated descent into a sonic maelstrom. Built on tightly coiled riffing and sudden rhythmic turns, the EP sustains a constant state of anxiety and collision. Rather than overextending, Nefas keeps the runtime lean and direct, allowing every section its own impact without diluting intensity. The material draws heavily from the disorienting surge of early 2000s deathgrind, enhanced by moments of technical convolution that feel more like free-fall than precision display.

Vocals shift freely between gurgled lows, piercing highs, and yelled declarations, with each texture layered enough to generate density without becoming an indistinct wall. The production avoids over-compression, giving the drums enough room to breathe during tempo collapses and lateral detours. Guitars bend through harmonic dissonance and unorthodox phrasing, aligning with the unpredictable structures the band favors. Bass lines, while often submerged within the surrounding chaos, give the songs their needed gravity and support the more abstract stretches without interruption.

Though chaotic on the surface, the songs aren’t random. There is a sense of narrative in the pacing—even if abstract or intentionally fragmented. “Xenomorphic” opens in violent contortion, “Spiral Degradation” folds into angular disarray, and “Mindstream Transference” closes with a sweeping descent into collapse, as if the structure of consciousness is being systematically dissolved. The EP ends abruptly, yet deliberately. Every second feels placed for maximum cumulative collapse.

Score: 7.3