By way of preparation for this album, I listen to this Polish artist’s earlier EP “Inter Spem et Metum”. Utterly dark, violent in parts and straight out of the playbook of dirty blackened death, it is impressive. For “Temporal Capsule” we are promised “chaotic and unpredictable inventions coming straight from a pensive human mind”.
“Temporal Capsule” consists of five “chapters”, starting with “Chapter of Immersion – Condemnation and Exile”. It makes for a funereal introduction. “Chapter of Existence – Conductors of Life and Death”. As you might expect, there’s more death than life both in the musical style and vocals. Black metal drums run through it. Mid-way we are taken into a scary wonderland before we return to the complex death metal assault. As the mainstay of this 31-minute work, “Chapter of Immersion” is a particularly downtrodden piece. It has menace but lacks excitement. “Chapter of Death – Devouring the Pestilence” rumbles darkly and sombrely and loudly but again the spark is missing. Maybe the intention was to grind us down. Impressive as the track titles are, the music doesn’t respond in kind other than being irrepressibly dark. I did sense something building up on “Chapter of Disappearance – Nihilistic Levitation”. The song goes forward with anger and fire, and rams its point home without being invasive. “Chapter of Insanity – Fire, Flesh, Destiny” is like a continuation. Relentless and heavy, it doesn’t take us anywhere. There is a break and it slows to bring about a deathly intensity, but all in all uniform obstinate death metal energy doesn’t act as a stimulant, at least for me.
I actually prefer Embarla Firgasto’s EP. “Temporal Capsule” has fire but maybe due to the sound mix it seemed a bit of a blur. It’s death metal alright and floats darkly around the spectrum but it didn’t seem to have a sense of direction about it.
(5/10 Andrew Doherty)
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