With bands who I never knew existed, my default reaction is to scan The Metal Archives for insight. In the case of France’s Absconditus, however, the unusually sparse promotional notes with ‘Kατάβασις’ turned out to be as good as it would get. So, formed in 2010 by guitarist/bassist Loxias upon the demise of his previous band Borgia, Absconditus has been busy forging a path of occult black metal “rich in adventurous ideas, dissonant melodies, corrosive solos and hints of melancholy that enhance the misanthropic nature and the dramatic, introspective tension of their themes.” A vast description of the band’s aims to be sure, but one which their debut – completed with the help of Anderswo on drums and Aliexagore on vocals – more than lives up to.
‘Prologue à l’Agonie’ sets up the cryptic, occult world of Absconditus nicely as high-pitched beams arc out of rumbling, serpentine extreme metal. The band’s death metal credentials are boasted during the introduction, blasts and double bass leading serpentine riffs and guitar contortions in different directions. It’s fair to say that the atmosphere of the cover is certainly conveyed by the music and vice-versa. ‘Mystagogie des Limbes’ is where black metal defiantly enters the equation however, most specifically in Aliexgore’s insanely venomous vocals. Where many bands claim to meld the black/death genres, Absconditus have no need for such idle boasts as their music does all the talking. There’s an obscurity in the song structures and production which reek of black metal yet a vicious streak to the playing that renders the music equally death-ridden. Biting riffs and apparently disjointed passages – like the mellow one with demented background yelps – defy convention or mere classification, instead opting for a brilliant mix of precision and lunacy.
Speaking of lunacy, on ‘Elegeia (Confession au Cénotaphe)’ the sinister Gallic commands of Aliexgore are as cool as they are unsettling. Again, the music alters shape repeatedly – one minute intricate riffs setting the tone, the next, open, intimidating ones. Elsewhere, a few of the manic passages carry the kind of freneticism which characterised early Akercocke (along with the attention to detail in each acceleration and deceleration). One certainty about ‘Kατάβασις’ is that its dark musical swathes – whichever form they take – are all totally unforgiving. Perhaps my favourite track, and one which conveys this mentality to the extreme is ‘Hybris au Bord du Précipice’. Kicking unconventionally in like early Immolation, the tempos of the riffs rage and shift around; those deranged French expostulations once again breathing hateful miasma all over the place. The all consuming bits with monstrous sound effects also prove highly effective. And with closer ‘Le Nouvel Astre’, it’s as if the musical entity is reminding us of its vindictive presence one last time.
Absconditus have presented us with a morbid debut that certainly will not be everyone’s tasse de thé. In fact each time I listen to it, the first couple of tracks are consistently disorientating (a fact which, in itself, testifies how successful the band have been in their attack). The more you get into it however, the more absorbing the experience becomes. What’s so interesting are the paradoxes floating around. ‘Kατάβασις’ manages to be epic yet understated; black metal yet death metal; insane and disjointed yet meticulously calculated. While I’m sure there may be bands of a similar ilk who inhabit the black/death metal underground, to me Absconditus proves an idiosyncratic and unique beast. Aside from the odd anonymous patch within it all, ‘Kατάβασις’ is a varied slab of cult underground metal which connoisseurs are really going to enjoy getting stuck into.
(8.5/10 Jamie)
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