Label Daemon Worship
Echoes of terrified madmen reverberate through unholy chambers, rock bottom accelerates towards naive psychonaughts and once proud monuments crumble as the rot within them seeps through porous decaying rock. Iceland’s Svartidaudi emerge triumphant as heralds of a new (dark) age.
Taking the theme of urban decay, drug abuse and personal apocalypse as their framework, debut album Flesh Catherdal stands as a testament to the power of self destruction as initiation. This is genuine channelling of spiritual awakening that leads through the unravelling mind of somebody caught deep in the descent that ultimately leads to revelation. As each song surges, driving further oxygen into the maelstrom, the meticulous execution is a perfect counterbalance to the unrestrained fury that weaves its subtext throughout the work.
There’s a real darkness evident in this record that hints at Svartidaudi being more than familiar with their subject matter. Grim authenticity pervades the work and it is no simple task to escape the deeply ingrained misery that seems to transfigure the atmosphere around those caught in the eclipse of the supreme melancholy evoked.
Musically, technicality reigns supreme. Each note is planned, each groove structured and each song expansive, monolithic and destructive. There are hints of the avant garde, but not at the expensive of aggression. As movements build and withdraw the only constant is the sheer invective force that pummels unrelentingly.
Rest of the review after the jump!
With each track ushering forth a new revelation it’s very easy to get completely lost in the abject despair that is Svartidaudi’s world but to do so would be to miss out on the greatest revelation offered by this record. This is an album of hope. Of self-awakening through self destruction. This epiphany is only hinted at and it is left in the hands of those bearing witness to seek, but there is gold to be found for all with the will to transmute foulest essence into greatest spirituality.
Essential black metal that stands triumphant over all contemporaries. This may well be a contender for record of the year.
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