Antediluvian - Septentrional Theophany (2013)

EP, Nuclear War Now! Productions
May 14th, 2013

Genre: Black/Death Metal
Region: Canada

A booster EP recorded during the λόγος sessions, Septentrional Theophany is another rapturous astral upheaval from this now infamous Canadian group. It's been well established I'm a big fan of these guys and their related hordes so any new material will have me interested. I think the only one I haven't got to yet was their Cogitating Vacuous split with Temple Nightside. For shame I know.

Yes this is a 7" that was packaged with the 80 page, heavy duty Haruspex Zine #1 (written by Jason Campbell, art and layout of Tim Grieco, in association with the label) which appeared recently along with the vinyl press of their last LP. The magazine itself is pretty fuckin beautiful in packaging and art, not to mention the content/depth of interviews and artist discussions (Denis Forkas, Tim Grieco, Marko Marov, and Manuel Tinnemans). It includes a lot of words with the Nuclear War Now! Productions cult such as: 

Ares Kingdom
Sabbat
Conqueror
Martire
Rotting Christ (Interviews with Sakis Tolis, Jim Mutilator, and Magus Vampyr Daoloth)
Pseudogod
Anatomia
Bone Awl (Interview featuring HWCT and HWGT)
Bestial Raids
Faustcoven

 

The interviews with Conqueror and Bone Awl are particularly interesting however there's generally some nice insights drawn out from diehard members and contributors of the community, with wicked presentation. If you're into digging deep with the bands above then definitely jump on this one. The record is streaming on bandcamp.

(Bone Awl interview)

Two new tracks with lyrics also by Jason Campbell. Something noticeable is that the clarity of this EP is higher even compared to λόγος (at least the tape version, the vinyl/cd press is clearer). It's nowhere near as muddy as TTCOH or the material prior to that which I can see being a problem for a lot of people. Maybe taking a little away from the drumming and grit but Antediluvian are inherently ugly, scratched, and weathered. This EP does retain those characteristics, and the destruction sealed within each moment of the two tracks here is still of great creative quality, and primal with the strong current of mystic cosmology.

So the chaos is still rearing it's malignant head throughout what you'll hear here. Darkly empyrean and profanely exploring ancient (Greek/Christian) theism/deism much like λόγος did but focused on a specific location or region. "North" is referred to several times, Phosphoros (morning star) and awaiting the its appearance, being guided by the destoyer's vision (Abandon),  and the title references a boreal theistic awakening or worship if I'm not mistaken,

Also I don't know if there's much intended significance but stringing together the sequence of writing and tracks gets you "Being in the opus of sacrifice at the mount of the congregation... in the sides of the North". There's obviously more meaning there coupled with the lyrical content regarding astral rebirth and journey, ritual significance of the aurora borealis and morning star (perhaps), etc.

Getting to the tracks themselves more closely. "Mount of the Congregation..." begins in a strikingly ordinary (relative yes) or orthodox manner after a brief sample, maybe returning to their Serpents Malignancy days but chunkier. The drumming remains steady and integral, complex however. Slow rocking powerchords and then just the tom pounding, then the full force of their depravity is unleashed.

Later this opening riff snakes it's way in much faster, transforming several times and in the midst of one of these horrid screams can be heard, on a higher register than the abyssal gurgled hymns that poison the surroundings. The rapidity of their direction changes and pacing reminds me of their Revelations in Excrement EP: progressively more chaotic and complex, before cutting off at the height of intensity.

(Ares Kingdom)

Then there's "...In the Sides of the North", a jarring spiral of archaic violence right from the beginning, the sour tremolo riffs slowly wrapping around you, the hasty sledgehammering from the percussive end slowing inky for measured tom hits between riffs. It's from the one minute mark where things start to get disorienting as the pace is picked up, particularly awesome riffs one after another. This is a song where they pull some more experimentation beyond their usual barbarous lashing, tactfully approaching something a more bleak or horror driven once the chaos subsides slightly.

Amid the howling bent and sustained notes and the tortured screams a thick atmosphere wells up at this point, the drumming becomes more tribal, steady, supporting the descent of the scraping rhythm behind it. It's a cosmic drowning that lingers only for so long, the return to bestial warfare is explosive for the final minute, shriveling like a closing portal.

Get this if you so desire, and I would guess many people desire more Antediluvian material. I wouldn't say it's essential but all of Antediluvian's releases are a treat for any fan of the ancient and filthy ceremonies they indulge in. You know I'll recommend it.

Available at Nuclear War Now! Productions with the first issue of their Haruspex Zine.


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Antediluvian - Λόγος (2013)

Full Length / Demo, Nuclear War Now! Productions
2013

Genre: Black/Death Metal
Region: Canada

As some of you might be aware of, the Cassette rip of the limited demo (?) version of the upcoming Antediluvian record Λόγος has finally been circling the outer rungs of the web. I really wanted to hear this at the end of 2012 but only heard about it weeks after it was stealthily released. Anyway here we have it.

Pronounced "logos", a cursory Google search suggests it's ancient Greek for "I say" or "that which is said" (or possibly "reason" but I am both lazy and out of my element here), lending to the ancient biblical and cryptic tone the band has shouldered thus far even more so. The art is once again very eerie. I know that it's a little hard to believe but even in demo form (and depending on the future, even more so here) its blatantly obvious this material represents the greatest channeling of archaic global turmoil Antediluvian have achieved.

At first Λόγος seems like it is far more formless and fluid in structure than all their past recordings, and in reality their bizarre conjurations are definitely far more entangled than ever before. They once again manage to keep vigilant and cull only the best 34 minutes it seems. Riffs which are constantly mutating through copious dissonant bends and decrepit time signatures is what makes Antediluvian and their brethren so violating and captivating, and yes they continue to wallow in this filth here.

Something that also continues is the wrecking ball drumming, putting a lot of guys to shame as she coordinates with the frightening guitar work Haasiophis dredges up. "Beyond Diurnal Winds" for example, this chick is a fucking beast. The bass however is fairly lost underneath everything else, I can hear it but it needs either more growl or bounce; this was not a problem on the last few records.

The crooked paths of the songs and their unpredictability forces you to pay attention as there's so much buried in each track you have no choice, lest you get lost and write it off as poor writing (a hard sell no doubt). On the first listen as it progresses Λόγος grasps a firmer foundation, probably around "The Ash and the Stars" (which is huge and complex) you've begun to just get hold of this writhing serpent; a song which is the first time I would argue that the Portal comparisons are actually accurate. Everything before this was almost overwhelming in it's reveling in chaos, where you only get glimpses as you adjust once again to their craft.

However on successive listens, much like with earlier works, the material becomes clearer and you gain a great appreciation for the meticulous discord it's wrapped in. I almost forgot it was supposed to be a rough cut as it started sounding far crisper at this point "Homunculus Daimon-eon (Awakening)" shreds wildly in descending spirals and later opens up, stretching the 7/4 and never dropping it's pace. And if it weren't for the quick silence you'd mistake "Consumate Spellbound Synapses" for a continuation of the opener. It's ever more pungent with horror sustained wails behind this wall of hypnotizing, lopsided rhythm and hailing blasts,  both combine to level you and the weight just increases as you listen.

There's some debate over whether some of the intro vocals are pitch shifted, not that it matters much. The intros are already cavernous enough. The rest of the time Haasiophis gurgles and froths abhorrently the spells of antiquity as he obliterates his instrument in the darkest ceremonies they've crafted yet. Sometimes on tracks like "On the Tree of Life and Death" there's more hoarse screams at one or two points and I'm not sure if that's him as well (I believe they were a four piece at the time), same with the spoken passage ending the final song. That song opens with a particularly intoxicating intro before erupting into misshapen and uncontrolled masses, decaying midway through to a crawl.

Tracks like "Tower of Silence" and "Nuclear Crucifixion (Turning the Spear Inward)" are even more ugly and tumultuous, if you haven't been overwhelmed by the time you've hit the former then the latter will be all the more tasty. Definitely my picks right now along with "The Ash and the Stars". "Transept of Limbs" opens with a very angelic intro before the blasphemous avalanche breaks. Later an enthralling pinched harmonic lead is woven through the corrosive static and punishing percussion, it's unexpected and fits well.

They always know how to close with a boom and with "Death Meta" Antediluvian manage to do it again, slowing it down and returning to "Under Wing of Asael" briefly. It's another example of how twisted they make everything, the almost slow-down like whammy effect Haasiophis achieves alongside the monolithic kit work from Mars brings this one to a close and leaves a deep scar in all those who make it through.

I didn't have much time to get properly excited for this, and I was pretty surprised that they were already working on/had released a new record so soon after their last success. That made me unduly wary but even considering this I'm coming away extremely pleased with everything they're doing on this rough cut, so when the official version is out I can only imagine it'll be as good if not more relentless and savage. Certainly top ten material even as an unfinished monstrosity.

A must for fans of this genre. Antediluvian have definitely brought something more challenging in this current version of their style. Further corruption by the cassette quality along with a continued standard of great writing takes their sound to more obscure subterranean depths. The only band that competes with them on the "holy fuck" chaos level would be Impetuous Ritual in my humble opinion; I guess you could include Grave Upheaval too. You probably can't find this anywhere unless someones got it on ebay but I hear a more complete/official release is in the works over at Nuclear War Now! Productions so watch that closely. For now enjoy the cassette rip.



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Antediluvian / Adversarial - Initiated in Impiety as Mysteries (2012)

Split. Nuclear War Now! Productions
June 28th, 2012

Genre: Death Metal
Region: Canada

This is a split I've been hearing about while it was being formed since late last year from a few friends "in the know", and I've been quite excited to hear how it turned out. Needless to say it's phenomenal.

Initiated in Impiety As Mysteries is an essential split record of churning chaos containing two of Canada's most talented, ferocious and hard working death metal acts couldn't be anything less than utterly destructive. Antediluvian and Adversarial on their own have both made big impacts in the last few years so I guess it was only natural they would combine their efforts. While both bands play distinctly different styles of death metal their pairing feels natural. And because essentially each release they've worked on independently has been gold (with growth in each careful step) you shouldn't be surprised once you unleash this to find it is no different in that regard.

Adversarial commits three wicked songs to their side. Two of the songs here ("Swirling Chaos that Swallows Horizons" and "Spiraling Towards the Ultimate End") they've been playing live since ROD III, and I've heard them each time they've played a set since. Hearing them live in their more raw form it was undeniable that they were no less crushing than their work on All Idols Fall Before The Hammer, but now having the chance to listen to them full worked through and a little cleaned up their impact has risen greatly.

For those of you who were bitching about the snare on All Idols Fall Before The Hammer there's good news: the snare is far more tame here. Every other aspect of the percussion remains the same: intense, blazing fast and intimidating. It really does the job of amping up the guitar in the faster sections very well, trampling like a stampede of elephants. Adversarial continues to hone their unique style of awe-inspiring and tasteful technicality with restraint allowing it to feel far more orthodox than you would expect. Carlos is still a fucking beast: his ability to craft high velocity, smart and dissonant riffs that remain catchy and memorable is something more musicians in the modern death metal arena should take note of.

The way he shreds on the opener (following a short ambient intro) shows that he's still full of creative riff ideas, as he snakes his way from technical sections into more dirty, mid paced tremolo sections and then into a slow dissonance which eventually ramps up as some of those crooked notes float in the background is quite satisfying. "Swirling Chaos that Swallows Horizons" has too many excellent moments: from the first riff (which repeats multiple times in the song) to the one that directly follows it at 1:45 which slams you with a combination of choppy fast powerchords and thick palm-muted tremolo shreds to the apocalyptic section emerging from a brief silence — it's all top notch and catchy as hell.

"Into the Waning of Twilight's Death Ocean" is the only track here I'm pretty sure I haven't heard previously but it's no less excellent then the others: cutting technicality and sparks discordance placed between shorter slow chords. The last riff in this song is beastly as it changes it's structures gradually, serpentine and then galloping, will put you on your ass.

"Spiraling Towards the Ultimate End" mirrors the feeling of the first track with one difference: the final haunting section filled with delay which is spellbinding, meandering slightly but circling a familiar theme as the drumming shifts from slow to blazing several times. I remember it clearly from the times I've seen it live but it's even more tremendous here. There's a really technical chunky moment which is just awesome, and the whining riff that's unleashed at 1:15 (and appears again later) is unforgettable.

Antediluvian's side is just as vicious as Adversarial's. I've heard one of these tracks live as well though I did not know the official title at the time.Their sound from Through The Cervix of Hawaah has carried over on these three tracks but the production feels far more raw (as it was on their earlier releases) and to me it seems the atmosphere and structures sound far closer to those heard on Under Wing of Asael.

Even with this being said you can hear growth in their compositions. While there are no behemoth length tracks what Antediluvian are doing on this release is truly magnificent — it's still a swirling catastrophe of jagged darkness but more warped than anything they've done. Crushing waves of sustained bends clash with dirty and tangled tremolo riffs over a storm of furious drumming (which is fairly overwhelmed by the other players and a little "cardboard" sounding), while the bass is so clear it's actually surprising; it's right up front with the guitar.

The most chaotic track is their opener "Force of Suns of Adversary" which is a writhing pile of blackened riffs for the first minute but halts for a wicked slow section reminiscent of the title track from their Asael demo: its a breathing archaic atmosphere in these moments, before moving into more thrashing chaos and again — only to be interrupted by a clean hammer on section which is a little bizarre, and once the distortion is cranked again the sharp scream that echos above turns this into a frightening experience. The vocals remain undeniably inhuman.

"Dissolution Spires" is a little different, slower paced for the most part after a writhing intro section — again the huge, rusted bends  with the thick bass line beneath reminds me of their demo, it's a hypnotic set of sounds that no other death metal group is messing with at this point. These sections make up the bulk of the track and it's entirely engrossing, and even when the pacing speeds up later in the track these grotesque warps remain largely. Near the end there's a truly evil "solo"(it's barely a solo in the traditional sense) which howls and groans in an unearthly manner, it's just great.

"Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I Am That I Am)" I saw performed live last year and it slays. It closes this split and much like the previous track it's slower, opening with a cold melody before speeding up briefly and then slamming back to a trudge with an avalanche of dissonant sustained dirges bringing oppressive atmosphere with them; and this pattern repeats in slight variations for the rest of the track. Those slow sections are eerie and otherworldly, a sharp contrast to the ferocity of the moments that come immediately after but no less intense. Near the very end there's a set of riffs that are some of the strangest they've crafted: the pace is quick but the guitar is slow, creeping, warped while the bass lines are quick and filthy. Antediluvian's contribution is just as consistent and strong as their previous work if not more so, their writing continues to impress and tighten.

Absolutely fantastic. This might be one of best splits in a while and there have been some excellent ones in the past two years. Both of these bands a morphing their styles ever so slightly and yet still keep them solid, making for some killer material that rivals their full length works. Don't bother hesitating on snatching a copy from Nuclear War Now! Productions, this is something that deserves your cash.

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Sanakan's Top 20 Albums of 2011

Yep, this year I decided to post my picks for 2011. I usually keep my lists confined to my last.fm page and haven’t posted them here in the past but fuck it.

I went with a main top 20 list plus a separate demos + EPs and splits list with less detail — despite the fact that a few EPs show up in my main list. Usually everything from the top 5 stays solidified at their spots the others may go up and down the list occasionally.

2011 was another great year for music, there was so much great shit released by hard working groups and labels that again it was a tough year to make a list. I always feel as though I should wait like a month or two after the new year to make a list like this since I do usually miss an amazing record and regret not putting it on the list. On that note: if I miss something it’s cool if you post a suggestion in the comments, but please try to hold off on the “You forgot _______, not good enough for ya?!” type of comments — you guys have your own lists to do justice to those albums you feel I’ve missed.

Do post suggestions though. I have added a huge Honorable Mentions and More Good Shit list for recommended albums that aren’t in the top 20 but are great. Anything not on that list I didn’t feel like mentioning, haven't heard it or I just missed it.

Enjoy and GFYS.

Antediluvian - Through The Cervix Of Hawaah (2011)

Full Length, Profound Lore Records
November 12th, 2011

Genre: Death Metal
Region: Canada

You know what? Alongside Mitochondrion's "Parasignosis" and Ulcerate's "The Destroyers of All" this may be the best death metal release this year.

Catastrophic, ancient, dissonant, twisted and ugly. A squall of intense and incomprehensible crawling darkness spilling into your ears. This builds on the magnificence of Under Wing of Asael and Revelations In Excrement. Nothing but well written face-splitting riffs, primal drum blasts, actually audible bass riffs, and organ destroying vocals. No space is wasted, no bullshit — all is devoted to conjuring extreme bestial intensity.

I'm going to stop now because I have to listen to this all day. You can too on bandcamp. Support these brilliant Canadian fucks and pick it up right now from Profound Lore Records or if you're in the EU at Invictus Productions. Do it.

EDIT: Link replaced and track list amended/corrected. Apologies. Please check your tags! Tracks 1, 4 and 9 have incorrect spelling from the original rip (update 19/11/2011, clipping issue fixed).

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Thank You

Recently Equivoke reached 100 followers and while it's a small number compared to the vast jungle of popular blogs out there, I wanted to recognize this and express my sincere thanks and appreciation for following our blog as well as supporting hard-working bands whose material we post here.

Cheers and thank you.

In celebration of this, here's a track off the upcoming Antediluvian album "Through The Cervix Of Hawwah" titled "Scions Of Ha Nachash (Spectre Of The Burning Valley)" in 320:

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EDIT: This is Sagi, instead of making another "thank you" post I'm going to use Sanakan's if he doesn't mind. It was a slow crawl but we finally made it 100 followers. When I started the blog in '09 I didn't think it would ever happen. This blog at first was just me posting music I enjoy with no real motive, and look at it now! I wasn't until I invited a few friends to come contribute when this blog started to actually take off. Ecspecially Sanakan, who has been the most active member. So I thank him the most, if it wasn't for him this blog wouldn't be where it is today, even having a label want us to post an album for them. And thank you all for supporting us dirty pirates, I know we're probably just another music blog on the internet but I mean it. Thank you again.

ANYWAY

To reward you I suppose, the least I can do. I give you one of my high tier death metal albums. I picked up the album in a record store called "Peaches" (I think.) when I was on vacation in New Orleans. And in FLAC too!

Death - The Sound of Perseverance

People consider it to be the runt of the bunch but fuck them I say. I finally got the opportunity to buy it. Enjoy this album from the classic band that was Death!

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Antediluvian - Revelations in Excrement (2011)

EP, Bird of Ill Omen
January 18th, 2011


Genre: Black Metal/Death Metal
Region: Canada

The latest EP from Antediluvian. An indication of what is to be heard on the upcoming full length, these 3 tracks are thick and suffocating.

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Antediluvian - Under Wing of Asael (2008)

Demo, Self Released
July 19th, 2008

Genre: Death Metal/Black Metal
Region: Canada

A dense, crawling, all-consuming nuclear hurricane spanning four tracks. Those who like groups such as Ignivomous, Mitochondrion, Teitanblood, Witchrist, Vasaeleth, etc. will enjoy this.

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