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Turns out the only thing that can make Undeath heavier and more terrifying is the inclusion of a whole organ piece. Who knew?

Not even one full year out from their 2024 album More Insane, Undeath is back with a brand new two track EP called Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard. The EP is Undeath‘s first independent release since their 2019 EP Sentient Autolysis and features two tracks predictably called “Enter Patient” and “Endless Graveyard.” Both tracks were recorded with Colin Marston of Gorguts and Krallice fame, with the opener “Enter Patient” featuring an additional organ piece by Thomas Mellan.

Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard was a surprise release on August 1st as Undeath kicked off their UK tour with support from Celestial Sanctuary, Mammoth Grinder, and Mutagenic Host. This was also around the time that Undeath was prepping for their appearance at the UK festival Bloodstock Open Air on August 9th. And surprise is certainly the right word here in more ways than one.

Undeath‘s previous record More Insane covered a lot of ground in the death metal realm, but then you’ve got Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard which feels like a lonely sprint through a darkened hospital hallway where curtains windlessly blow and empty beds stretch out far beyond your sight in either direction.

This is less overt brutality and more of a creeping sense of dread. “Enter Patient” feels less like the doors of a dim void have opened and more like you’ve woken up in the middle of the EP’s artwork stricken with fear and having sweat through all your clothes. “Enter Patient”‘s harmonic structure feels almost cinematic, like a death metal reimagining of a Final Fantasy dungeon theme. It’s playfully evil but all too grim at the exact same time.

The first half of “Enter Patient” circles a miserable, low-registered dual guitar lead that crawls through its runtime with a handful of slight mutations to keep things interesting. True to their form as a band, Undeath still manages to twist that heaviness into something memorable which is something I really greatly admire about Undeath. Much like their big brother in Cannibal Corpse, Undeath knows how to strike a balance between catchy and utterly crushing.

And then right around the four minute mark, the song dissolves into something altogether different: the chilling organ piece composed and performed by Thomas Mellan. It’s theatrical, it’s over the top, and it echoes the song’s earlier motifs to bring it all together.

It’s such a unique turn and one that Undeath has never employed before and maybe they should more in the future because Mellan‘s compositional skills and ability to expand on what Undeath is doing is really, really cool.

And then you’ve got “Endless Graveyard” which speeds things up a little bit where needed while severely trimming down its runtime to be all vicious riffs pretty much all the time. What I really love about “Endless Graveyard” is the opening minute-ish. After a disorienting organ ending to “Enter Patient”, “Endless Graveyard” almost seems to trip over itself rhythmically before confidently settling into this slower, kinda smoldering groove that quickly catches fire.

If “Enter Patient” was a solitary sprint to wherever you’re guessing the exit in this hell might be, “Endless Graveyard” is a coming together of the loose body parts around you into a hungry, lumbering enemy that is solely fixated on you.

Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard is a shockingly strong release considering it’s only two songs. Undeath managed to keep each song unique unto itself but close enough stylistically and tonally that it forms one complete musical idea. Marston‘s mix also helps in that it feels roomy and clear but still very dismal at the same time.

The atmosphere through both tracks is very grim and I’m pretty sure that’s because Marston‘s mix articulates every dark corner and streak of blood throughout the music. My only real complaint here is that I wish Undeath didn’t fade in and out of Mellan’s organ part. A smash cut straight from the death metal parts and then back to the death metal parts probably would’ve made a little bit more of an impact in terms of both surprise and immediacy. Not that I’m complaining because it’s still very cool but there was a little bit of room for improvement there.

I’m floored by Undeath‘s ability to pivot to an overall slower sound from More Insane but make it feel like that’s been their whole shtick this entire time. And then to have the foresight to add in a perfect organ section right at the end of the first song is just mastery of their craft.

What’s even more exciting is the potential this release hints at. If Undeath decides to explore more of this space, you know, this kind of gloomy, cinematic prog doom dimension in a future full length, the results could be devastating. The inclusion of Thomas Mellan‘s organ work only amplifies that potential and I’d love to see him return for a larger role somewhere down the line.

Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard is an easy 9 out of 10 for me. If you missed this EP and you might’ve because it was a surprise release, watch this whole video until the end so YouTube thinks I’m cool or whatever and then don’t listen to that EP.

Hey! Thank you so much for watching! What did you think of Enter Patient / Endless Graveyard? Let me know in the comments below!