J-Man I'm not sure why this might be, but it seems that a vast majority of metal that I discover from South America is quite punishing and brutal - the Colombians in Nepente are no exception. Hailing from the city of Manizales, the band was formed in 2003 and released their debut observation, Atonements, in 2008. In 2012, they unleashed Suffering Is the Seed, and while it is an ultimately flawed sophomore effort, Nepente's lethal blend of death metal and black metal is likely to appeal to fans of extreme music.

Suffering Is the Seed is primarily a death metal release (and quite a brutal one at that), but there are quite a few touches of black metal scattered throughout the album. Vocalist Jose Fernando Ospina utilizes a shrieking vocal style in addition to his deep guttural growl, and tremolo-picked guitar lines aren't uncommon either. With that in mind, calling Nepente a blackened death metal band in the vein of Polish acts like Hate or Behemoth would make for a pretty accurate description of their music. The musicianship is strong across the board and the production is a bit on the polished side, but it still has an aggressive bite. The guitars have a totally potent and filthy sound, making Nepente's music sound as brutal as possible.

In spite of its assets, however, Suffering Is the Seed doesn't leave much of a lasting impression with me. Although it is enjoyable while it's playing, I have a tough time recalling too many details after the album ends. Nepente's music is well-executed, but it's also very standard when compared to other blackened death metal releases. A bit more originality will be required from Nepente to really win me over, but Suffering Is the Seed is still nothing to scoff at; this is some high-quality blackened death metal, and no fan of the genre would regret hearing it!