Nightfly Live Burial have been active since 2012 but I’ve only just come across them for the first time recently missing out on their 2014 debut “Forced Back To Life. With the sheer number of death metal bands out there vying for attention I would not normally be surprised by this, but the fact that they are based only 35 miles away from me in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne makes me wonder how I’ve missed them so far. Thank fuck I like them as I wouldn’t want to give some local lads a crap review.

A quick listen to their debut album, Forced Back To Life (where they borrowed Lars Ulrich’s snare from the St Anger sessions – just kidding guys) shows the band have made considerable growth since then with Unending Futility being a more mature and paced piece of work displaying a much greater sense of dynamics. Things get off to a great start with the doomy intro of Seeping Into The Earth but the pace soon picks up. I’m reminded of early Death around the time of Leprosy and Spiritual Healing with the rawness of Asphyx. Fluid bass lines vie for attention with busy drum parts and the powerful yet atmospheric guitar riffs. Seeping Into The Earth turns out to be one of my favourite tracks but that doesn’t mean it’s all downhill from here. These guys get quite technical at times, which is not always immediately apparent through the raw production but this actually works in their favour. The emphasis though seems to be more on dark foreboding atmospherics, especially on the slower sections though they can ramp up the speed when required which they do frequently. These doomier parts work well in contrast to the busier and faster sections, sometimes having a blackened edge and the frequent changes add plenty of interest. The album may be a little formulaic and borrow heavily from the past but it’s of minor concern with the quality of the material on show and by the time I get to closer Cemetery Fog I’m ready to play it again as at 41 minutes it certainly doesn’t outstay its welcome.

2020 has been a great year for death metal despite all the covid shit that’s fucked up so much in the music world. I really hope these guys get noticed amongst the massive amount of new death metal out there as Unending Futility is worthy of your investigation.