Not much info seems to be available on this new project although we are informed it is an international entity. The rather long word of their name seems to translate to “Slur” and narratively here we are dealing with themes of “of cosmic indifference and the stark reality of human insignificance.” This four track EP is a scary proposition make no mistake as it torments the head with bouts of heaving cosmic dissonance in a deathly vein along with fragments of blackened metal and passages of dark ambience.
‘Heinous Constellations’ starts like the unravelling of the universe as everything barrels in with brutish pummelling and odd spacey sounds. Slowing into a lurch vocals emerge and are as toxic sounding as the music, low hoary growls erupt as guitars swirl into the stratosphere citing bands such as Immolation, Morbid Angel and according to the press blurb, (even if I can’t really agree) Zyklon-B and Abigor. It’s a head screw of a listen to as it plunges down black holes, shreds and slithers over a near ten-minute running time. This is ghastly art for those who like to be challenged. The strange sci-fi sonic sounds towards culmination are hostile and alien but give the music further definition Two shorter tracks follow, first ‘Machinations Internecine’ is a to the point thumping chase with the guitars spinning off and the velocity nothing short of frantic. By complete contrast ‘Teeth Of The Hanged’ is an exercise in dark solemnity sounding like it is being performed in an desecrated cathedral. Slow organ sound and gargling vocals take this down the dark ambient route and to be honest it is just as dire and uncomfortable a song as when the band are in full flight. Some sampled serial killer sounding speech lurks in the gloomy background unsettling even further.
Plunging back down the precipice we have the longest and title track to contend with and as suggested after building up it’s a contusion of spiralling instrumentation, not without some mind-bending technicality bringing to mind the likes of Gorguts. Just when you think you have made it through to the other side it deconstructs and moves onto what seems like it could be a different number moving into a final passage of doom death with some sparser guitar harmonics and those torrid growls following it all into silence. Approach with caution.
(6.5/10 Pete Woods)
08/11/2024 at 3:55 pm
Sounds like this is a great album. Why only a 6.5??