Quick dust up of past, present, future releases.
Sfeerverzieker deal Death is the Desired Ending. At moments I hear mid tempo tank tread churning of Bolt Thrower utilizing the dissonant unchords of Ulcerate and Voivod from this one man Dutch death doom outfit. Huge, plodding drums, vocals shouted from behind a wall of guitars, slack bass rumbles and textural noise that could be a mix of guitar effects and synth. When Sven Post backs away from the dissonance there are times when fellow countrymen Gorefest, circa false, also comes to mind. When things slip into the doom territory of “Lost” it takes cues off 1984-86 Swans and Godflesh mech pummel to add the modern twist of hanging dissonant chords of Deathspell Omega and Dodecahedron. Sven Post has released two apocalyptic gems with his Sfeerverzieker project this year and I definitely feel this second offering builds upon the three song Wrath of the Child ep. The ep from January begins in a more conventional fashion with riffing taking an almost a Crowbar sludge bent mixed with the Cult of NeurIsis building aesthetic that Amen Ra has taken command of. The third, and final, track of the ep lays the sonic groundwork for the atonal cacophony delivered across much of Death is the Desired Ending.
Gaze upon this wonderful painting by Jeff Christensen and despair at the symbolism in full view. Kamra appear to have ties to Assumption and Siderean. This leans away from the lava infused death doom of Assumption and cosmic death metal terror of Siderean and wends toward more occult and esoteric black metal fare that has its own tricks up its alchemist’s sleeve. Kamra layer killer riffs and load the arrangements with twists and turns and bring a terrific vocal attack recalling the dynamics and theatrics of Kvohst without sounding a mirror image. Two of the songs from the EP reappear here along with 3 new psalms and 2 instumentals to shatter sanity, snap necks and spin obsidian into gold.
OTDHR…onthedamnedhumanrace… A new French outfit melding noisecraft and black metal for exhilerating effect. After a 4 min squall of feedback and looping noise Maraud bursts in an explosion of black metal from the depths of the Mariana Trench. A bilious sound draped in sulfur and burning in phosphorescent glow. There is a push/pull dynamic in terms of sonic play where the black metal attack is in the distance and attempting to force its way from a different dimension into a listeners reality. It isn’t quite the traditional lo-fi black metal recording tactic to deliberately sound raw, more so an intent on creating an otherworldly sound design. It also seems as if this recording was designed to be a single structure since elements from one track bleed through into the next piece of the puzzle. Shifts from black metal to droning walls of noise built on guitar effects and pulses. One will notice the songs in roman numerals are the conventional band attacks and the alphabetic titled songs are those plying in noise trade while the final chapter is a blend of both - probably 85% band to 15% noisecraft.
Kansas City, Missouri’s Brendan Thomas is the force behind Embrace the Maddness. One would think this is a project from Quebec as it has such command fusing the Voivod sense of cosmic drama and unchords with song structures via Cryptopsy circa whisper supremacy …And Then You’ll Beg and additional skronk, angularity and uber technica of Gorguts. And, no, it isn’t hyperbole. This cat is just that good.
Similar in sonic destructive intent as fellow countrymen Cosmovore or even early Altarage, Hamvak is a cosmos devouring entity of one Dávid Vadkerti-Tóth. You can equate him with Marvel’s Galactus minus the herald. Consider this your warning: Expect no mercy. Burly death metal that is essentially no frills and boiled down to deliver maximum damage. Megaton bass tone and clatter, cement churning guitar sound, throttling percussion, guttural howls that disprove the fact in space no one can hear a scream.
Most recently on this list, Pogavranjen have issued a salvo of their gutter take on Ved Buens Ende / Virus jazz chords from an undisclosed dungeon in Zagreb. Always peak uneasy listening from this unit. Love the jazz infused approach these guys have been working with since Jedva Čekam Da Nikad Ne Umrem. Such great backline moving between slinky and sinuous rhythms and feral bursts… though when things are at their most relaxed in terms of drum and bass play is when the guitar work is at its most eerie apex utilizing creepy hanging chords, busy spider fingered fretboard walks as the bass undulates and pulses beneath and tethers with the drums. One of my favorite things with Pogavranjen is the vocal delivery being in their native tongue sound to be at maximum venomous vitriol no matter if they are whispers or hoarse screams. A tour with Pogavranjen and Gorycz should be mandatory.
Casting an eye to the future, Thaumaturgy has previewed a new track off Tenebrous Oblations due next year. Sonic brethren to Desolate Shrine. Cavernous black tinged death metal with the “Blood of Ageless Serpent” coursing through its veins. Excellent balance of old school grime and occult compositional geometry.
As always, Please support: Everything Went Black, The Metal Dad and his fiendish five podcast, No Clean Singing, Stereogum: The Black Market, The Devil’s Mouth, Aversionline, Invisible Oranges, Horror Wolf 666, Into the Necrosphere and Sol Nox Podcast….