Skaphos – The Descent – review – Death Metal

SKAPHOS – The Descent – review
Transcending Obscurity

I gave up trying to keep track of the various death metal sub-genres around about the time that someone started inventing death metal sub-genres. Blackened death-doom, Melodic black-death, Slam death metal, Deathcore, Gorenoise, Blackdeathberry. What’s the fucking point.

Anyway, turns out that French band Skaphos are Abyssal Death Metal. Which is only one letter away from being the worst named sub-genre, ever. They first formed in 2018, and have released three albums prior to this – “Bathyscaphe” (2020), “Thooï” (2022) and “Cult of Uzura” (2025).

Naturally, I have no idea what Abyssal Death Metal is. It sounds like a mix of black metal and death metal. It’s certainly brutal, but manages to throw in an atmospheric feel, which lifts out of the mire, where so many bands sound like each other. Well done, lads.

The power they demonstrate is probably related to the fact that they’re an actual band, who’ve toured with the likes of Vader, Marduk, Suffocation, Belphegor, Batushka, and Vomitory. So not just another lad cosplaying in his bedroom while his Mum puts the tea on.

In finest metal tradition, the songs are, largely, horror inspired, with a large dose of HP Lovecraft bubbling along. The vocals scream, and the drummer does a fine job, with opener ‘Nese Ende’, and the closing ‘Mariana Tomb’, the standouts.

However, if you’ve encountered them before, hold fast. The songs here, are actually new versions of songs off the first two albums – “Bathyscaphe” and “Thooï”. So, think on that.

You can buy physical copies from the unphysical internet.

Watch and listen;