What mere mortal can articulate Incantation's mojo? I can't claim to fully fathom their might, and I most certainly cannot conjure adequate words to describe their masterful discography. As always, their music pits shambling disintegration against putrescent precision and blasting.

On Dirges of Elysium, Incantation ratchet up the doom elements of their ethos, hitting the brakes and summoning pleasant whiffs of Mortal Throne of Nazarene. Satisfying, sinister melodies slither over cadences that both plod and pummel. Such dirge; I approve.

Good death metal is made of moments of indelible madness. Incantation have spent years crafting such abominable abandon, and Dirges of Elysium brings many more of these moments into being. The album features some massive, impossibly alluring grooves that erupt from the mire to induce obeisance; heads will bang. I caught a couple of these songs live at Maryland Deathfest, and they stood up well to the enduring pillars of the band’s back catalog.

Although I've heard many folks pleading to the contrary, I prefer Dirges of Elysium to its predecessor, Vanquish in Vengeance. The production here is a bit fuller, and the sheer weight of these tectonic heavings casts blastbeaten passages in the light of dynamic clarity. Incantation have once again tilled the wretched depths to unearth rapturous annihilation. I’m convinced they can mine superior death until the end of days.

Atanamar Sunyata

Band info: www.incantation.com
Label info: www.listenable.net

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.

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For an album that purports to exalt aural oblivion, Sacred White Noise is startlingly articulate. Thantifaxath ply a riveting and addictive black metal, inhabiting a world where weird arpeggiations accelerate and decelerate in tremolated madness. I’m excited by very little in the way of black metal these days, but Thantifaxath bring a compelling and inventive animus to the table.

More discrete and comprehensible than Mitochondrion, and less oblique than Deathspell Omega, Thantifaxath imbue their progeny with a poignant originality. Sacred White Noise broadcasts chromatic madness in satisfying stereo. The dual guitars often flay obtuse polyrhythms, but they also unfurl ponderous chord progressions and crushing dynamics. An excellent rhythm section is accentuated by bass lines that broil nicely under the guitars' treble. The speed can be blinding, oft approaching Krallice-like acrobatics. Hyperspeed symphony, however, is not the goal; these magnificent riffs and rhythms live in service of an ominous and alien ambience.

The satisfyingly scathing vocals teeter on the edge of madness and comprehensibility. Without lyrics, we're left to ponder the half-understood ravings in darkness. Stanley Kubrick-style atmospherics manifest in chants and obtuse orchestrations, giving the album a sense of space, if not outer space. A twisted and glorious string composition towards the end of the album seals the deal on the band’s sadistic sonic intent.

Thantifaxath may worship white noise, but they certainly don’t create it. I walk away from each spin of Sacred White Noise feeling satisfied, but filled with questions that can only be answered by further listens. This is the mark of excellent music.

Atanamar Sunyata

Label info: www.darkdescentrecords.com

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.

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I’m rarely compelled to live and breathe an album, to opt for total immersion. Sweven is that kind of album, demanding obeisance and awe. Morbus Chron have found a new voice that belies their age, that speaks in tongues of ancient, effortless, and flawless malevolence. On their sophomore LP, the band have blown past the crude and contagious death metal of their debut. They have, in fact, blown past all reckoning.

Steeped in primordial metal exaltation, Sweven is an album that will suffer from attempts at categorization. There are still shreds of death at hand, but much of the material is metal, pure, simple, and unadulterated. Amidst this sweet mother lode of sinister riffs, I hear the primal sensibilities of Judas Priest circa Sad Wings of Destiny. In cascading, somber tremolations, I hear the majestic mastery of Dissection. Bits of hoary Celtic Frost creep into the guitar tone. Somber melodies speak of Maiden made evil. Crescendos of thrashing thunder threaten to Ride the Lightning.

Sweven is rather fearlessly filled with clean guitars. Gorgeous classical inclinations undulate and sway in a fathomless abyss. Many passages recall the boundless, unfettered output of a young Opeth, before pretension and obfuscation set in.

The pacing on Sweven is marvelous and multifarious. Cadences both crushing and sedate are represented, driven throughout by magnificent drumming. Despite the album’s wide-ranging sonic sentiments, the vocals speak only in tones of harrowed emptiness. The lyrics tell tales of abstract astral journeys and dreams of otherworldly grandeur. It all makes perfect sense; you’ll see.

I don’t see any reason to attempt to escape from Sweven’s grasp. I suspect I’ll remain in its sway when the year ends. Revel in Morbus Chron’s masterful madness.

Atanamar Sunyata


Band info: www.facebook.com/morbuschron
Label info: www.centurymedia.com

Atanamar Sunyata is a software engineer by trade and a herder of cats by calling. He lives in Peekskill, NY, with his wife and three man cats. When the inspiration strikes, Atanamar spouts metal hyperbole for Scratch the Surface, Metal Bandcamp, and his own blog, sunyata – mindful of metal. You can also find him on Twitter @AtanamarSunyata and Facebook.

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