In a world where many Death Metal bands seem hell-bent on delivering some sub-Gothenburg, melodic pap that your average In Flames fan wouldn’t be caught dead listening to, it’s a relief to know that in some parts of the world, the words Death and Metal are still taken to mean kick-your-bloody-head-in heaviness. Hailing from Poland (where else has provided such a gory wealth of new talent in the last few years?) Mastabah do their very best over the course of debut EP Purity to sound as much like the evil spawn of Cryptopsy and Deicide as possible.

Of course, the doubters are already complaining about the inevitable Behemoth and Vader influence, which most Polish bands seem to pick up, but it’s about time people realised that the Polish Death Metal scene has the distinct sound and high level of talent necessary to make it recognisable in its own right. Opening track We Are alone makes this CD worth the price of purchase, a light-speed barrage of riffs, grooves and strangely epic leads that bears that same impact that Crown Of Horns and Lunatic Of God’s Creation did the first time you heard them. Each and every member of the band, from drummer Gore and his impression of a pneumatic drill to guitarists Thorn (formerly of Azarath) and Belzebub cranking out the riffs as if their lives depended on it, are on fire, working in unison to create the heaviest Death Metal this scribe’s heard since the last Suffocation album.

It’s not a flawless release, however. Although there aren’t really any weak tracks on offer, there aren’t many standout moments, and if you’re not giving everything to the music it can seem a bit repetitive. Those who are more familiar with Death Metal’s ins and outs will know that most bands' debut EPs are not the best thing that the band will produce. Purity shows a band capable of great things, and one that every Death Metaller worth their salt should have an eye on.