Vspolokh: Мрьтвоземъ
Out 25th December on Purity Through Fire
Coats the stoic austerity of Slavic black metal with a dusting of populist melodic metal sugar, resulting in an exhilarating and rewarding experience on a visceral level, but one that nevertheless leaves one feeling cheated. Architecturally, there is a clear articulation of identity, intent, and purpose. A long form expression of black metal at its most intense yet wistful. But the album is littered with cadential refrains, cheap hooks, and overly sentimental chord progressions that are forever extracting us from the moment. Vspolokh are hardly unique in this regard. The rockism of black metal has bedded in to such an extent that I’d wager many bands fall into tropes that feel “epic” or “profound” through pop culture osmosis as opposed to careful study of how the different elements of their compositions are bound together. But here it deserves particular note owing to the not inconsiderable potential baked within the underbelly of Мрьтвоземъ.
Nachash: Eshaton Magicks
Out 31st January on Signal Rex
Violent black metal front loaded with chunky heavy metal riffing. Although prima facie rather typical of explicitly retro styles, there is an interesting alchemy at play beneath the surface. Basic early Bathory or Destruction riffs are deployed as foundational material, but these are effectively melded with second wave ephemera from Scandinavia to Italy, resulting in a playful brew that achieves a lot despite the immediate aggression of the sound. Further, typical atonal runs are supplemented with more traditional harmonic and melodic developmental material in a manner that feels true to the grounded, grassroots presentation of this material. Any emotive or considered output is still tightly wedded to the more single minded nature of older forms of extreme metal from the early 80s. This allows Nachash to at once pose as authentic – in the tiresome manner that many generically blackened thrash outfits tend to do these days – whilst smuggling in a greater degree of nuance, variety, and density to their compositions, one that pleasantly surprises the listener owing to this sleight of hand. The music presents as basic, barbaric, energetic, only to incrementally shift into a more considered, thoughtful beast almost seamlessly.
Cosmophage: Sidereal Malignancy
Out 31st January on Blood Harvest/Me Saco Un Ojo
Jutting, angular death metal that shaves off the more jagged edges of Gorguts circa ‘The Erosion of Sanity’ with a more direct vintage. Cosmophage are still adept at allowing their music to peel off into several different directions at once – a-la Lemay at the height of his powers – but the throughline is perhaps easier to follow owing to a vestigial percussive tendency formalising the transferences of energy across these pieces. There is a tension between an organic ethos that seeks to replicate itself into as many different forms as possible, as developmental materials seems to flow out of the music in near constant streams, but one still kept at bay by the rhythm section as it throws barbs of staccato obstructionism in salvos of rigidity. The tension between these competing forces is maintained throughout this EP, demonstrating an impressive understanding of what made death metal in its heyday a development on prior forms of extreme metal over and above aesthetic dog whistles. The non-linearity of these pieces, utilising a strong link up between the drums and the use of random flecks of guitar conversation, gives way to a kind of meta-logic via clever recapitulations and distinctive melodic signatures. A strikingly dark atmosphere is retained throughout, enhancing the three dimensional chess taking place between the competing riff signatures.
Zéro Absolu: La Saignée
Out 31st January on AOP records
A random, incoherent cacophony of gauche screamo outbursts, post hardcore, detached psychedelic rock restraint, and endless tremolo picked melodies that were apparently intended to sound like longform, lyrical phrasing but in actuality just make me wish someone would answer the telephone. Zéro Absolu are archetypical of this brand of back metal appropriation that seeks to lift random ephemera from the genre but see themselves as above delving into the ostensibly baser core of the genre. But in order to at least present the veneer of the genre’s intensity whilst retaining a degree of dignity, they flex toward safe territory for pop artists: emotional vulnerability. Thus metal’s newer generation of vibe listeners come away believing they have experienced a more intense version of the latest group therapy indie making its way across the streaming platforms, and Zéro Absolu get to pose as innovators of a genre they hate, without having to get their hands dirty by engaging with its barbaric essence in any meaningful way, something they no doubt think would alienate 90% of their casualised listener base. Although these compositions are ostensibly longform, the first track being twenty minutes, they treat what superficial material they have as so disposable there apparently came a point where even these musicians noted the random nihilistic dilettantism of their creation, thus leading them to fall back on the tired and tested method of interludes consisting of a solitary clean guitar murmuring arpeggiated chords with no connection to anything because “tension” or something (see Opeth). Revolting, lazy slop that will no doubt be praised to high heaven by journalists desperate to build a brand out of the wreckage of a long dead genre of music.
Fumes: Skeletal Wings Threshold
Out 7th February on Personal Records
Frantic, impatient riff based black metal that achieves a pleasing balance between eccentricity and traditionalism. Bears all the hallmarks of stylistic incontinence common to younger musicians who have grown up in an age of influence saturation. But despite being an obvious patchwork ransom note of an album, the fact that no particular voice or style of black metal – beyond a general emphasis toward riff over atmosphere – emerges triumphant across these frenetic tracks grants ‘Skeletal Wings Threshold’ a greater sense of freedom and possibility when taken against comparable albums. Tracks like ‘Suppuration Tunnels’ present a break from the Aura Noir meets Angelcorpse shuffle mode of previous tracks to eek out clear, borderline accessible themes that are both clearly articulated and developed as the track progresses. Despite being a lot to take in at first, Fumes appear willing and able to articulate a clear identity and vision despite the cavalcade of archaic black metal forms making themselves known across this album. Clumsy for sure, but also diverse, ambitious, and highly intentional regardless.
Phrenelith: Ashen Womb
Out 7th February on Dark Descent Records/Me Saco Un Ojo Records
Fairly standard fodder for muscular post caverncore death metal. It almost feels lazy at this point to compare this to Incantation, but whilst the connection is apparent, Phrenelith are hardly the most blatant plagiarists in this regard. They have a tendency to reference the chunky blackened barbaric metal of Bolzer as much as old school death/doom. The result is an album that genuinely feels contemporary in terms of presentation despite its struggle to articulate a distinct identity in a very cluttered field. What it gets right one can admire more on an intellectual level even as it struggles to captivate. The compositions are tight and purposeful. They offer a logic and flow that makes sense internally, without triggering my inner cynic sensing when an artist is shoehorning in references to bands or styles as a shortcut to contriving an identity. ‘Ashen Womb’ is an underwhelming but authentic experience, an artist producing a work admirable for its honesty and knowledge of its craft, even if the lasting impact is muted.
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