The two plain black tapes feature ripped white labels- and these come in a clear double jewel case. Sleeve wise we get a glossy black & white affair, that takes in on its front cover a series of overlaid crystal skull photos- with inside the track listings, and a line of stand-alone pictures of glass skulls. As of writing this review, there are a few copies left of this release, which originally came in an edition of 21 copies- though if you do want to pick this up, I wouldn’t wait too long.

As the release's title suggest this releases ‘walls’ are themed around different stages of death & post-death- so the release starts with “Pallor Mortis”, and ends seven tracks later with “Fossilization”. Each of the tracks run between seventeen & twenty-six minutes, and really this is decidedly old-school walled noise- with no real deviations into ANW, DNW, texture walled noise, lower case HNW, or any of the other variations within the wall noise genre that have appeared in the last few years.

The first track “Pallor Mortis”- comes in at just over the twenty-one-minute mark- this is built around a fairly simplistic ‘wall’ that brings together deep crack bound rubbing/ rattling, with crisp crunching sub-tones. It’s a nice urgent & nasty start to the releases proceedings, and certainly makes sure you are ready & raring to go.

As we move through the release we come to track four “Rigour Mortis”- this is the shortest track here at just over seventeen & a half minute. Here we get a dense & circular searing ‘wall’ that brings together a rolling judder; a scouring clutter- with feasting churns of thinner rattle. This definitely feels like a body as it’s starting to break down, and decay from within, at a fairly rapid state- not sure if this is a description of rigour mortis, but it certainly fits this tracks feel.

Moving on we track number five “Putfuction”- this just over twenty-one-minute ‘wall’ opens with a deep rolling grind and a crisp & cut sub jitter. By around the two-minute mark a line of cluttering & chopping mids have raised up, and these very nicely bring to mind the sound of 1000’s of flies feeding on a corpse, as they buzz, twitch & borrow away at the disintegrating body.

Track seven is the nearing twenty-one & half minutes of “Skeletaonsistion”- and once again there’s a speed feasting & micro burrowing feel to this track- as we get a blend of constantly tumbling rumbles & more spitefully crisp jitters been blended together in devastation  & cruel monotony.

The release is, of course, topped off with “Fossilization”- this nearing twenty-three-minute ‘wall’ is a mixture of pummelling & rushing grind, witch is encased in cluttering & brisk juddering. This is a nicely nasty end to proceedings, leaving one satisfying enough battered after the releases three-hour runtime.

Stages of Death is very much a return to ultra-bleak & disturbing themed walled noise of the early 2010’s- think Dead Body Collection, Concrete Threat, or maybe Cannibal Ritual- though I’d say nothing here really reaches the crude height of that projects work. So if you’re a long-time wall head, that fancies a return to the days of simple & brutal walled noise, then I reckon Stages of Death will fit the bill.