When we first encountered Famine with their debut EP "Annihilate These Lambs," it was clear that this one-man project, spearheaded by Matteo Cavaggion, was more than just a nostalgic nod to the old school death metal scene. With its raw production, relentless riffs, and a darkly immersive atmosphere, Famine quickly established itself in our previous review as a formiddable force. Read that review -> HERE.

Now, with the release of their new EP "Baptism," Famine takes a bold step forward, delving into even darker and more complex territory. This latest offering is a concept-driven exploration of betrayal, revenge, and madness, showcasing an evolution in both sound and storytelling that demands our attention. As we dive into "Baptism," let's revisit the essence of what made Famine stand out and explore how this new chapter looks to solidify Matteo Cavaggion's place in the pantheon of underground metal.

Have a listen to the EP below while you read ->



First track 'Baptism' starts with eerie clean guitars brimming with delay and reverb. Drum/bass kick in shortly after to bring the sound together along with a nice lead guitar section before blasting into a heavy dirge type riff full of palm mutes and thick guitar tones. The song is short and goes by in a flash, with blast beats raising the aggression and intensity with an ending of stop/starts leading straight into the next song 'A Misanthrope Has Born'. Cutting straight to the bone with the intro tremolo picking, we are already into 5th gear on this one. You can feel the shift to more blackened death riffs which are quite evident on this track but still carries the Famine feeling from the previous EP throughout, mainly with the vocal attack and tone but with slightly more bite and venom.
The production slightly more elevated and fine-tuned which adds to the listening experience. A short lived but cool solo with some tapping hits us at the 2 minute mark and you are bombarded with more blast beats. More than halfway at the four minute mark the song slows down to a more sludge guitar section before hitting us with more technical death riffage.

There's a cool bass/drum section after this that I wish got explored with more time and got expanded upon. But instead we are treated to a more melodic adventure, with some grand clean guitars and beautiful leads over it. The song kind of loses itself at this 6 minute mark I feel with plenty of tremolo action that doesn't really feel connected to the majority of the song we just heard and the emotional outburst at the end serves the lyrical content well. Check 'em out on bandcamp ->



Third track 'Helminthiasis' has a nice triplet feel to the start of the song and descends into a great blackened section, with an incredible atmosphere building effort at 1:14 which takes this song to a level and height beyond the stratosphere. Final track 'Heremit's Execution/Departure' is a monstrous progession from their previous EP and leaves an extremely lasting impression, the marching drums, the blackened tremolos, the genius idea of the melancholic piano layering, the more listens to this the more new elements you will notice ,the tension and atmosphere within this are at times suffocatingly heavy and the rhythm sections crushes with a relentlessness that's full of beautifully crafted dissonance and melody, everything about this oozes quality of the highest standard making this an absolutely sublime offering which is definitely one of the best EP releases you're likely to hear this year! Expect the unexpected.

Instagram? Check out Famine here!