Review: Qrixkuor – The Womb of the World
Here, in the blood’s inferno…
in the bitterness of each cell…
in the shudder of your nerves…
Within the vast and seemingly unending waves of album announcements, there exists very few capable of extracting any level of enthusiasm from these wearied bones. However, there still exist a few shining sparkles of compressed carbon in the dredges of extreme metal that arise to the surface. With their first material in three years (4 since their last LP), the U.K. blackened death entity Qrixkuor return and with them comes a physical sensation of intrigue and anticipation—a brief yet discernible shortening of the breath and a giddiness normally reserved for school children on the brink of devouring a sugary treat. Alas, I have been bamboozled before and I know that managed expectations are best utilized in instances of incredible wanting. So does the new full-length awaken dormant darkness dwelling within these depths, or is it a case of style over substance?
If you have followed Qrixkuor’s prior offerings then you may have noticed a trend. With their debut album Poison Palinopsia, some interesting ideas were introduced to already dense and punishing music by crafting two 24-minute epics of soul-crushing darkness with near-symphonic sounding elements. The following year had them release the incredible Zoetrope EP where a single 25-minute epic of bleak dread, accompanied by an increase in the orchestral components, laid bare those around them with their weak attempts in crafting music as impenetrable yet engaging as them. Now with their newest album The Womb of the World, we are witness to a project fully coming into their own where you are either fully on board or left sunken in their monstrous wake.
The Womb of the World is hugely cinematic in scope and execution, but this score is to the horrors of that which remain indescribable, to that which resides beyond normal mammalian perception. Each section of every track is deftly crafted with a density that includes the normal slate of guitars, drums, and shrieks, but entire symphonic movements accompany them in a way I honestly cannot say I have ever experienced previously. All compositions are crafted by frontman S and performed by The Symphony of the Fallen Stars, but if you are like me, then the simple existence of a descriptor such as “symphonic” is normally an immediate deterrent and for good reason. The annals of metal are rife with groups and projects leaning heavily into orchestration, usually with lazy and embarrassing results. My tastes have become jaded due to such acts using it as a crutch rather than catalyst. However, with this newest offering, Qrixkuor has managed to find the balance between electronic instruments and that of the brass, strings, and choir that can best be described as horrifyingly orgasmic.
Album opener “So Spoke the Silent Stars” followed by “Slithering Serendipity” are a mere 25-minute foray into what feels like part classical gothic opera, baroque symphony movement, and crushingly heavy blackened death metal. Guitar lines play off the classical instrumentation rather than being overpowered by it. Violin wails bounce off the vocal gutturals in a hallucinogenic opening of dormant brain folds. For every embarrassment Behemoth and Dimmu Borgir have released in the latter part of their careers, here we find everything lacking from those groups non-existent. Going down the path of symphonics in extreme metal, in almost every singular case, diminishes the actual metal aspects significantly. Guitar lines are simplified, drums fall into a standard groove pattern, and vocals are buried beneath the overly loud instruments. But when these symphonics are incorporated as deftly and foundationally as is done here, the results are nothing short of breathtaking.
The third and briefest track “And You Shall Know Perdition as Your Shrine” takes an overall slower and airy approach, but that only allows the chaos to shine through even brighter with the inclusion of vocalist Jaded Lungs from 30-year veterans Adorior. Her inclusion brings a maniacal atmosphere to the several minutes of harshness where her wails and shrieks traverse from left to right while the harshness of S lies beneath. The impact is of a pummeling march where each step feels akin to walking deeper into an inescapable pit of perdition. Purposeful attempts to unnerve the listener often go awry and are simply unsuccessful, but here it serves as a lengthy expedition into an unknown yet all-encompassing psychological splitting of one’s consciousness.
Not to rest upon breaking the listener’s mind, 17-minute closer “The Womb of World” pieces you back together with a “straightforward” approach in comparison, but the eeriness never subsides as the deft use of such instruments as the xylophone adds more nuance and spine-tingling soundscapes. A grandiose close to a grandiose album where the journey is one obscured by strangeness on all sides, but each intricate and overlayed detail keeps you thoroughly engaged for its full runtime. A truly cathartic listening experience with a masterful buildup and release from metal normalcy. The only negative I can think of is that this album has likely ruined all other attempts at adding orchestral and symphonics others dare to attempt (I’m looking at you, Wintersun). The bar hasn’t been raised so much as it has been surpassed and reestablished to near unreachable heights. Be warned, those who wish to attempt their skill and might against the newly crowned juggernauts of the genre.
5/5 Flaming Toilets ov Hell
The Womb of the World releases November 7 via Dark Descent Records (US) and Invictus Productions (EU).
