Festering Existence is a death metal/deathcore band from the Netherlands. The band has already released an EP in 2023 titled ‘Festering Existence, and ‘Raised by the Voices’ marks the band’s second EP release and it dropped in 2025.
Band: Festering Existence (NL)
Genre: (Death Metal/Deathcore)
Album (Raised by the Voices)
Year (2025)
(Reviewed by Raaf Atasi for MetalFromNL)
Composition
The EP consists of 2 songs, which I found a bit odd since EPs are usually 3 songs or more. Nonetheless, this new release is definitely worth talking about.
The first song ‘Raised by the Voices’, which is my favourite of the two, starts with a banger of a death metal riff performed by the duo (Leon Helleman) and (Thom Nijhoff), accompanied with some hateful, punishing growls by singer (Johnny Hilberink). Really cool and manic riffage throughout the song.
The lead work at the minute 1:21 mark is pretty tasteful and emotional. I do not know which of the 2 guitarists performed it, but this short, yet impactful, solo is absolutely killer, and I certainly wish there was more lead guitar work like that on both songs. However, it was a good decision to extend this melodic solo through the vocal line that follows. A definite highlight moment for me. Additionally, the bass line, performed by (Raymond Aubri) that bursts out at 2:04 is majestic. I particularly love how the band made it louder in the production. Always a plus when the band decides to let the bass shine at the right moment.
The second song ‘The Broken One’ is moodier and doomier than the first, which is a welcome twist to the EP. The song has blast beats in it (though for a very short burst), but with the overall structure, those pummeling blast beats are meant to contribute to the song’s menacing atmosphere. The song starts out with a devastating death metal riff that compels the listener to become invested in the band’s brutality before it drops into the moody section at min 0:40.
I love the sick open chords that come at min 2:04 accompanied with a short tremolo picking that almost sounds black metal-ish. I definitely want to hear the band do more of these twists, especially with the bass layering on top of it. Absolutely great.
In both songs, the drum work by (Menno Bakker) is crushingly solid and tasteful. Great accents with the guitar riffs and tight fills and cymbal work throughout. He doesn’t always rely on speed or traditional breakdowns in his drum composition. An example that stood out was the extremely doomy and creepy beat on min 3:36 of ‘The Broken One’. Menno lets the open chords breathe with his simple one kick one hi-hat one snare approach. The drums here set the tone that brings about the end of the EP perfectly.
Being a death metal/deathcore band, is it inevitable that there would be some slamming breakdowns. However, the band doesn’t overdo it which, in my opinion, is a good thing, and therefore it doesn’t become a predictable cliché. I like the balance they apply compositionally between death metal and some haunting deathcore breakdown moments. One of the elements I enjoyed with the slamming breakdowns is exemplified on min 0:30 from ‘The Broken One’, where they add a chilling melody to accompany the breakdown. This approach ensured that this part doesn’t become sterile, which I believe has become a prevalent factor in the deathcore realm. Many deathcore bands use those slamming moments and chugging staccato mutes without anything interesting to break the monotony of the rhythm section. But here, it sounds dynamic and rich with the hypnotic melody on top.
Worth mentioning is the explosion “motif” that appears on different parts of both songs. When it appeared for the first time in the beginning of ‘Raised by the Voices’, it was genuinely disturbing in a very good way. It was unpredictable and made my heart sink for a second. Moreover, it definitely added to the intensity when it played the role of the “surprise element”. However, this trick was used repeatedly on both songs to the point that, to me, it lost a bit of its charm. I would have definitely preferred that it would be a one timer so that I would go back to it over and over again for that addictive rush it gave me the first time. But after the repetitions, it felt like I can just wait a bit and it will pop up at any second. It doesn’t ruin the songs by any means, but it just takes away the initial punishing (and surprising) oomph that it provided the first time around.
Performance
I have to say, one of my favorite performances on this EP is Raymond’s bass playing. He really keeps that low end saturated with devastating heaviness. Yet he also incorporates some cool higher licks to give the bass more definition and presence when necessary. Solid and tasteful playing throughout the songs. I particularly love the bass performance on ‘The Broken One’ (min 2:03 to be precise), where the duo guitarists lay those sick open chords for Raymond to insert some tasteful licks on top of them. Killer section.
The guitar riffs are absolutely sick. Thom and Leon know how to inject some unapologetic, unhinged sonic destruction into the listener’s ears. From the tightness of the groove, to the tasteful riffage and lead work, as well as the neck snapping breakdowns and thoughtful beats by Menno, they deliver with confidence and drive.
As vocals go, Matt’s vocals are pretty diverse and dynamic. He uses different pitches and doesn’t stick to one vocal dimension. From gut wrenching lows to haunting mids and highs. He knows how to keep the listener engaged by the sheer brutality and anguish conveyed on both songs.
Lyrics
The lyrical content is pretty grim. Nothing too fancy, but they’re genuinely filled with self loathing mixed with existential anger and hatred. One lyrical part that caught my attention was from the song ‘Raised by the Voices’ where it goes; “Since the day I was born, I was set up for failure… A wretched mistake of two fucking cowards”. That is legitimately intense, and it reflects some real personal turmoil that is being released in the form of music/lyrics. Moreover, the nature of the lyrics fits with the musical message and compositional approach. You can hear Johnny’s anguish throughout the songs. Some lyrical parts may be a bit on the nose for my taste, but genuinely engaging and gloomy lyrics overall.
Production
The EP is well produced. A bit too compressed but not in a robotic way. Plenty of room for organic delivery and aesthetic. The vocals -and every instrument- are crisp and audible. Pretty enjoyable production overall.
Critique
When I started listening to Festering Existence’s new offering, I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be labeled as an EP or 2 singles. To my taste, I would have preferred to either have 2 separate singles that would be featured on a new EP/full-length, or just a longer EP with a minimum of 3 songs. That, however, does not diminish the power of the songs in any way. In fact, more of them would have been better. That is my “complaint” here. Another aspect to critique, which I mentioned earlier, was the explosion motif. I think it might have been done by upping the bass in the mix, which I thought was a cool idea. But when repeated multiple times, I did not feel the same devastating shock I felt the first time around.
Compositionally, I enjoyed ‘Raised by the Voices’ more than ‘The Broken One’. Not that the latter is bad. But I felt that ‘Raised by the Voices’ was more engaging. Maybe the slow doomy part on ‘The Broken One’ (min 0:30) dragged on a bit too long for me (a whole minute). Not to say that this ruined the song, because I understand the vibe that the guys were aiming for; to induce this grinding and menacing feel into the listener’s psyche. However, I felt that I wanted the next riff after 2 counts. So maybe it would have worked better for me if they had settled for 2 counts instead of 4.
Conclusion
Solid EP (2 singles) by the Dutch death metal/deathcore outfit Festering Existence. Those 2 songs will definitely break some necks when performed live and looking forward to hearing the next offering by the 5 piece devastation machine.
Rating
8/10
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