Tag Archives: dissonant

Convulsing – Grievous

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

Australian solo project Convulsing has a nasty aura surrounding it. Starting with Errata and improving an already winning formula with “Engraved upon Bleached Bone”, their side of the split with Siberian Hell Sounds, Convulsing continues their skyward ascension with Grievous, their latest full-length endeavour.

Brendan Sloan’s instrumentals and vocals are irreproachable, twisting and turning the compositions this and that way, and providing a highly dissonant and complex framework that is in relentless evolution. That was the case on Errata, and it’s still the case on Grievous. Even the programming of the … Read more

Imperial Triumphant – Vile Luxury

by Dæv Tremblay

The Music

The Words

New York’s avant-garde death worshippers Imperial Triumphant recently released their much anticipated album Vile Luxury, the follow-up to 2015’s stellar Abyssal Gods. On this new record, the mysterious trio is joined by a brass quartet and a vocal quartet to craft a sonic aura more daunting and regal than ever. When the trumpets swell and the choir wails, it is the carnal embodiment of the name “Imperial Triumphant”; like the malignant annunciation of a vile king.

While the previous iterations of the band’s vision sounded more like homages to Portal and Deathspell Omega, Vile … Read more

Biesy – Noc lekkich obyczajów

by Dæv Tremblay

Biesy – Polish for “Demons” – will release their debut album, Noc lekkich obyczajów – free translation: “Night of Weak Morals” –, a forty-three-minute slab of dissonant and unforgiving death metal in the vein of Ulcerate and Deathspell Omega, on September ninth. The band doesn’t hide their true intentions, as the album straight away starts with dissonant intervals – the minor second is used and abused, a recurring theme in this genre’s music –, unstoppable blast beats, slow but heavy riffing, and miasmic growls with texts all in Polish. The album is a blast, enshrouded in a toxic mist of … Read more

Obsidian Mantra – Existential Gravity

by Dæv Tremblay

Polish band Obsidian Mantra just released its debut album, the intricate and massive Existential Gravity. Clocking in at fifty-four minutes, it demonstrates more than well enough their compositional and playing skills as musicians. The sort of progressive death metal they play is reminiscent of Florida’s RXYZYXR, but also of Montréal’s Gorguts. On the one hand, Obsidian Mantra have heavy grooves and plenty of odd-time signatures, as well as a very interesting set of uneven repetitions of motives. On the other hand, it lacks the melodic hooks found on LMNTS, in favour of exclusively harsh vocals and deeper dissonant … Read more

Sunless – Demo 2016

by Dæv Tremblay

a2583815969_16Sunless is a band from Minnesota created in 2014 and comprised of four members. With heavy influences from dissonant death metal acts such as Gorguts and Ulcerate, and a surprising audio quality considering it’s labeled a demo, Sunless will most certainly get people talking, and chances are that Demo 2016 is only the first of many great albums they put out. But why is it so good?

If you haven’t noticed already, it dwells on dissonance, and equipoises technicality with atmosphere. Indeed, the very first, lone arpeggiated and distorted chord from the song Born of Clay immediately screams “You’ve come … Read more