Review: Post-apocalyptic misery metal crafted from simple chromatic scales of power chords and rumbling basic drumbeats, rubbery bass distorting the rest in an avalanche of distorted scalatures reverberating between polar counterpoints of foundation to the interval space of chromatic gesture that form the harmonic basis to each song. Persistent use of singular theme in multiple riff variations within verse-chorus song structure, a reduction so extreme that it provides a good background for attention tunneling, pushes focus toward the absolutist.
Tracklist:
1. Winter Solstice (3:35)
2. Lament Configuration (4:14)
3. Intro / Spawn of Absu (5:52)
Length: 13:50
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Copyright © 1993 Relapse
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It does that: wraps your attention into a simple thing, direct focus on the pattern behind the riff under drums, bass, guitar; but there is little to unify what is here. Divergent patterns reunify into repetition and cadence which anchors rhythmic centering to the song; harmony is built from a tone centricism so ironclad and yet unsteady that its friction forms a texture of the mood of resonating darkness intended for this release.
Sad this band is departed as simple potential exists here, unified more by conventions of rock and heavy metal songwriting in the context of death metal technique than anything else, yet in its attention to impact and structure remains potential and not actual.