Comprising two members, Salpsan and Melebolge, Spite doesn’t really boast a vast discography in any sense. In their five years of existence up to this point, they’ve given us a mere two recordings: a demo single as well as a contribution to the utterly vicious Evil Spells compilation. Until now, that is, for on Monday, they’ll be releasing a new EP, Trapped in the Pentagram. Okay, I guess with only two songs and six minutes of material, using the term “EP” here is a bit of a stretch, but still…it doubles their recorded output! Either way, this is an unabashedly evil record and stays true to the sound and ethos of classic black metal—which should cut the Brooklyn duo a pretty wide swath going forward.

Spite describe themselves as “raw desecration black metal” and this descriptor is entirely accurate. The titular opening track begins with a brutally fast guitar section, then explodes with high-speed drumming and vocals that are inherently black metal and fit the raw, blasphemous sound very well. There’s also a noticeably strong low-end presence, something of a rumble, that lends itself to an almost death metal-like feel. It’s an astounding range of sound that might just catch you by surprise.

Track number two, “Desecration Rites,” is a rerecording of their 2013 one track demo, and is easily the rawer of the two songs here. Where the song’s original recording was steeped in the tinny, high-pitched sound that’s prevalent across so much of black metal, this version sees the sound enhanced and expanded quite a bit, and falls right in line with “Trapped in the Pentagram.” The low end is more prevalent and the guitars sound better overall, even through the feedback drenched opening seconds. The vocals stick to a deadly but coherent delivery and show off an impressive stylistic range, covering everything from an echoed bark to what sounds, at least to my ears, like a spot-on Rob Halford wail.

So that’s all well and good. But then, consider the lyrics. When Spite spits phrases like “baptizing the devil’s child” and “daggers of Hell” so clearly over-top this cacophony, there’s no questioning the band’s intent: this is vintage black metal, and this is evil.

-Josh

Trapped in the Pentagram will be available April 27th on Iron Bonehead Productions. For more information on Spite, visit the band’s Facebook page.