EP Review: Unburier - As Time Awaits (2026)
- Feb 17
- 3 min read
Written: 17th February 2026
Emerging from southern England, Unburier first made their mark in 2022 with Twisted Existence, a debut EP that highlighted their sharp musicianship and uncompromising heaviness. They expanded their craft with 2024’s Nebulous, tightening their writing and diving further into the technical death‑metal lineage inspired by acts like Death, Necrophast and Revocation. Now preparing to unveil their third EP, As Time Awaits, the band aim to continue their amalgamation of classic brutality - even their logo screams old school - with modern precision.
Just three songs and under fifteen minutes long, As Time Awaits does not stand on ceremony and immediately announces its arrival on opening track Continuum, with angular, serrated riffs and furious bass from Stan Mitchell. The vocals are rasping, guttural and blistering; nevertheless, much of what Ben Champion sings can be clearly understood from a lyrical standpoint. Continuum examines the collapse of belief and certainty with the protagonist trying to make sense of life when nothing feels reliable anymore. Within, the depths / Engulfed by the void where there will never be light / Deceive or veracity / Contemplation will endure. Unburier exactingly blend the lines between technicality, death metal and thrash and there is certainly melody to be found within the incandescent, defiant solos.
Abyssal Uncertainty – which tells the story of a trapped mine labourer descending into madness – dials the tension and brutality up still further. However, the control with which Unburier achieve this is impressive. Every riff, bass line and vocal is audible and melded together in precise, abyssal pulverisation. Drummer Kim Hughes visits every piece of his kit like a man possessed and never once feels like he is losing control or is about to submit to chaos. As the track progresses, the labourer in question starts to lose faith in any rescue and elements of cosmic dread, despair and body-breaking struggle haunt the lyrics. Oh the void it calls me / Detached from the world / Become unburdened / Why must I climb? / We all suffer the same / Searching for meaning is futile.
Final track Survive The Vermin tells the story of an immortal metal warrior battling lingering human instincts. Ravenous hunger / Blood-letting steel / Cry out in agony, I yearn to feel / Steel undeath, purpose to set me free / Now all I want is the strength to bleed. Paying homage to sci-fi author Nate Crowley, Unburier aim to build their own worlds and concepts. Survive The Vermin runs for five minutes but feels far more epic in scope and in amongst the bludgeoning riffs and blast beats from Kim Hughes, the spiralling, high-velocity lead passages from Blake Hibberd add colour to the narrative.
With As Time Awaits, Unburier have delivered one of the most compelling underground metal EPs I have heard recently. Although their foundation is death metal, there are unmistakable surges of thrash and heightened technicality woven through every passage, giving the music a vigorous energy. It will be fascinating to hear what the band could summon across the broader canvas of a full‑length album but for now, this EP serves both as an excellent milestone and an ideal entry point for listeners discovering them for the first time. Unburier are fully aware of their strengths, exploiting each with assurance on every track. They offer sufficient diversity to sustain attention but also ample brutality to satisfy those who favour their metal towards the more extreme fringes. Essential.
As Time Awaits is released on 27th February 2026
Unburier online
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