Let’s keep this simple. Disma’s Towards the Megalith is currently my top contender for metal album of the year. An absolutely devastating wall of perfectly produced downtuned Death Metal, Towards the Megalith is one of those albums that comes together so perfectly you can’t help but wonder how anyone could top this. Featuring vocals by the legendary Craig Pillard (Ex-Incantations) backed up by Daryl Kahan (Funebrarum, Citizens Arrest),Bill Venner (Incantation),Randi Stokes (ex-Methadrone), and Shawn Eldridge (Funebrarum), Disma’s lineup reads like a who’s who of American death metal. Following the release of their Vault of Membros demo, Towards the Megalith’s eight tracks weigh in at a solid 46 minutes.
The mastery each member of this band exhibits is evident in their ability to stylistically shift from raging d-beat, thrash, classic doom, and back to death metal all within the confines of one song. While this at first sounds like the recipe for a complete mess of an album, you only need to listen to the opener, “Chaos Apparition” to see just how this works out. Classic death metal riffing and double bass cuts straight into Pillard’s ferocious growl before slowing down slightly, then shifting back into full force as the second guitar drops in. As the drumming shifts into a chugging d-beat you can feel the momentum driving this album is only beginning. The next track, “Chasm of Oceanus”, slows things down into a death-doom funeral march that perfectly invokes the spirit of New York legends Winter. Just as you catch your breath during a pounding guitar and drum trade off, the band kicks it into high gear and all of a sudden sounds like classic Florida tech death. By now it’s clear; this album is a love letter to the genre. By stretching their sound across so many gulfs of sound Disma have created an album that feels both tremendously familiar yet utterly new.
The highlight of this album is the midpoint, “Vault of Membros”. Slowing things down to a sludged out monolithic slab of doom, it comes across as heavier than anything before it. Restraint is key here, as each member slowly works towards an explosive build that hits midway through the track. The production of this album shines on this track in particular. There’s a physicality to the sound on this album as a whole, the guitars buzzsaw through their riffs, the crystal clear drumming punctuating Pillard’s vocals perfectly, bass ripples below the surface yet never sounds murky. While lo-fi production has been a hallmark of many recent metal releases, the relative clarity of this album is a blast of fresh air; hell you can actually make out the vocals half the time, regardless of how intense the track is. This is clearly a collaborative effort; every member of this band is a top tier musician, it’s only fair that they simultaneously share the spotlight practically the entire album.
Closing on the titular “Towards the Megalith”, I’m pleased to see a metal album that doesn’t rely on an epically long track to close things out. Nearly every piece on this record weighs in at a hefty 6 minutes; long enough for them to carve through the sonic expanses they want to, without ever getting boring. “Towards the Megalith” is this albums most cathartic moment, with absolutely unhinged drumming and guitars swinging back and forth, stopping and starting and abruptly changing rhythms before crashing down over the listener like a tidal wave. Just as you think things are going to end the drums kick in, then bass, then guitar, roiling like a blackened sky just before the storm breaks. Yet that is it, and that’s the hallmark of a band who are operating at top form. Wildly throwing your expectations around, showboating when they want, and yet pulling it all together at the end.
I cannot recommend this album enough. Even if you’re not a fan of death metal (or have never given death metal a fair shot), check this out. It’s accessible in the sense that it’s so well crafted you can’t help but appreciate very minute of it. It’s a near perfect death metal album. With stunning performances by every member, pitch perfect production, a sense of experimentation combined with a sense of tradition, and absolutely stunning album art, Profound Lore have released a juggernaut of a record.
You owe it to yourself to give it a spin.
The entire thing is streaming over at
http://www.npr.org/2011/07/18/137709531/first-listen-disma-towards-the-megalith
check out the track Spectral Domination here
[audio:http://staging.cvltnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/03-Spectral-Domination.mp3|titles=03 Spectral Domination]
gaz
July 19, 2011 at 2:51 am
this is great stuff, thanks for the heads up!