For me, absence never killed momentum. Despite being active since the late '90s, Chile's Godless released their debut full-length album in 2010, and circle back to studio action 16 years later with the second album, Adversus Parousia, having sparsely released only a handful of EPs and demos in between these three decades. My first experience with the band was on the Omega Omnipotens EP (2017), which left me an impression good enough to explore previous material, but I still almost didn't recognize it's the same band when I glanced at the news of Adversus Parousia earlier this year. The record's kernel, if you haven't already guessed, is one of archaic death metal, with a bombastic delivery and an undeniable South American harshness embedded to it.
Minimal but compelling art done by Fenomeno Design (also responsible for Barshashketh, Blut Aus Nord and Merrimack covers) alongside an excellent production is what immediately leaves the first positive feedback. Godless understands that clarity and filth aren't mutually exclusive, sounding massive on Adversus Parousia without it being overproduced or too loud. The crispiness feels organic, all instruments retain their definition and front-end presence yet the band gives the impression of still operating within a larger structure of darkness.
Musically, the strongest influence here is Incantation, both on structure and riff variety, but the band's far from a passive imitator, keeping an abrasive intensity hardly contained across eight tracks and a total of 40 minutes of antediluvian death metal. The curtain-raiser, "Ingenitus-Ekstasis", is also the longest piece on the album, and throws caution at the wind with violent tremolo riffing, persistent tension and controlled tempo switches throughout. It's also perfectly linked with the second track, "Omega Omnipotens: Hosanna in Nullificatio", which underlines how Godless excel at flow and pacing all across Adversus Parousia. The record's brutality rotates between fast-paced hysteria and slower, doom-heavy stomping that creates regular passages of transitional heaviness through naturally emerging shifts.
Some tracks work more in favor of these unhurried sections, such as on "Pneuma-Khaos", "Ekstasis-Cosmogravis" and the gloomy closer, "Et Verbum Nihil Factum Est". On the other side, the band turns totally furious on "Plaga Vobiscum (Et Cum Spirit)" and "Numenlagneia", hightlight tracks that capture the album at its best. Apart from the thunderous guitar lines, the bass work is also remarkable, as well as the grotesque vocal delivery (listen to the voice twists and rumbling bass on "Pneuma-Khaos" to feel this at its clearest). In total, the undertaking is deeply indebted to the classic pillars of the genre, and remains unique among kindred bands. Highly recommended.
Release: June 6th, 2026 | Nuclear Winter Records
Website: Facebook
Rating: 4 out of 5
The two songs that are already out sound like the best thing these guys have ever done. Surely Incantation influence, pretty awesome
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