Did You Diss(o) Me?
Apologies for the tardiness of this next write up, but blame me not. Blame these following bands for dropping new albums that require ample time to truly unwrap their intricacies. Also, to add to the brutality of these releases, the ever-dreadful arrival of summer has already made my brain into a dried apricot. After spinning the following multiple times, my synapses are thoroughly fried and ready for reprieve. However, all this means is that I am ready to subjugate you all to my ailments and transfer them upon you as well.
Aseitas – Eden Trough (May 30)
Hard to believe that it has been 4 long years since the previous full release, entitled False Peace, from these Portland death metal maniacs, but pushing play on the first track on Eden Trough makes it worth the wait immediately. Also, with a song title like “Break the Neck of Every Beautiful Thing,” how could it not deliver? Brimming with progressive elements that interject ever-changing dynamics which deftly add to the arrangements rather than detracting from them, Aseitas just may have released their most visionary and complete composition to date. Do you like guitar acrobatics without the fretboard wankery? How about punishing drumming without monotonous blasting? And if that wasn’t enough, how about a sprinkle of synth and cello? Here we see how to add multiple elements not usually associated with your standard fare death metal and still maintain one’s identity.
Eden Trough definitely requires repeated listens to take in everything being thrown at you, and it is not just the progressive elements. The guitars are in constant attack mode with pummeling dissonant chords and enough start-stop intervals to make your blood pressure rise and fall rapidly. The 10 minute opus “Tiamat” has enough going for it that I could easily write another several hundred words on this track alone—from the opening melodic guitar line, to the ringing dissonance at the 1:50 mark, and the atmospheric section starting at 4:38. All absolutely killer aspects of the song, and all still only in the first half of the track. Come to the trough and leave sated after this one is complete.
Swelling Repulsion – Fatally Misguided (June 7)
If you have perused around the Toilet throughout this year, you have likely seen this album from Swelling Repulsion pop up a few times already, and for good reason. These Colorado death metalers have released their sophomore LP and have answered the burning question I know you have been asking yourself; can technical death metal actually be good? Well, Fatally Misguided has come around to answer this conundrum with a resounding YAAASSSS! How is it possible you might ask? Well, this trio has decided to make the incredibly 4D chess decision to make their technical prowess a component of their song craft and not the sole reason for its existence. Amazing what can be achieved when you make writing good songs the focus before attempting sonic masturbation on instruments for an entire album’s run time.
From the chunky bass lines to the swirling drum fills, my attention was firmly grasped by each track. Now, calling Fatally Misguided a dissonant release may not be the most apt descriptor, as these aspects are more background components, but there still exists enough mind-melting weirdness to get the job done. The track “Sacred Doom” opens with a slightly off-putting bass line with a near-melodic guitar line to hold it together. Then shit gets serious around the 0:45 mark where a more standard technical riffing approach is utilized, but here still remains enough dissonant composition to keep you on your toes. Also, the Bart Simpson sample at the beginning of “Cesspool of Dismembered Memory” is so out of left field that it alone qualifies the album for this post.
Fiori del Male – Con un grido entrerò nell’ombra (June 13)
Leave it to Total Dissonance Worship to once again come out of nowhere with another release that is utterly mysterious and captivating. If you are like me and find the works of something like Jute Gyte to be a little too much for your palette to take, then the debut LP by this one-man Italian black metal/electronic project will likely be for you. Con un grido entrerò nell’ombra brilliantly utilizes the minimal and microtonal approach to crafting their work, which in the wrong hands can become a bit boring and grating in a bad way, but here we see it used deftly and in incredibly interesting ways. By blending piano, electronic breaks, and punishing low end guitar/bass/drum machinations, Fiori del Male have quickly established themselves as an intriguing project to follow simply to see what can be though of next.
The album opens with a mellow yet melancholic piano piece that transitions into guitar feedback ringings to make you aware of the darkness that lies ahead. Then the second track entitled “Il tuo ventre è nudo come un rantolo” truly welcomes you to the oh-so-sweet dissonant happenings only to then transition to an electronic break at the 1:20 mark. Though coming out of left field, this electronic portion helps create the foundation of this release constantly shifting, but never lets up on the wariness it instills in the listener. The pummeling instruments return with a bang at 3:00 and here I realize that there are still 6 minutes remaining. Punishing atonality juxtaposed with near-warming atmosphere makes this one I have revisited often since my initial listen.
