Much of black metal, especially obscure black metal, draws its appeal from the fact that it is meant to be bewildering and confounding to listen to. Logos should be indecipherable, names and lyrics and concepts should be dark, unrepentant and far-flung, and the music itself should be a mix of clashing aural soundscapes that might drive one to madness.
Tetragrammacide certainly take this advice to heart with their latest release, Typhonian Wormholes: Indecipherable Anti-Structural Formulæ, the title of which is itself a conundrum. It's a difficult record to wrap one's head around; their press release describes them as "war metal" over black metal or noise, but this is not in the sense that one would understand the term — in the vein of Bolt Thrower, say. This term refers to the musical elements within each song, which sound as though they are at war with each other. Song titles like "Paramilitant Entropic Initiation" and "Eructation of Anti-Existential Co," meanwhile, will make you feel like you just sat through a PhD-level psych course without even holding a Bachelor's degree. The music is well crafted, and heavy and angry enough to satisfy the bloodlust of most metal fans, but the contrasting, clashing sounds can be a bit much, even for the seasoned listener of grindcore and obscure black metal.
This album is absolutely not for the faint of heart; there's no ambience, no shoegaze influence and no melody here. Those who do feel the odd resonance in this record, however, might feel a strange connection. Certainly, it's worth a listen to find out.
(Iron Bonehead)Tetragrammacide certainly take this advice to heart with their latest release, Typhonian Wormholes: Indecipherable Anti-Structural Formulæ, the title of which is itself a conundrum. It's a difficult record to wrap one's head around; their press release describes them as "war metal" over black metal or noise, but this is not in the sense that one would understand the term — in the vein of Bolt Thrower, say. This term refers to the musical elements within each song, which sound as though they are at war with each other. Song titles like "Paramilitant Entropic Initiation" and "Eructation of Anti-Existential Co," meanwhile, will make you feel like you just sat through a PhD-level psych course without even holding a Bachelor's degree. The music is well crafted, and heavy and angry enough to satisfy the bloodlust of most metal fans, but the contrasting, clashing sounds can be a bit much, even for the seasoned listener of grindcore and obscure black metal.
This album is absolutely not for the faint of heart; there's no ambience, no shoegaze influence and no melody here. Those who do feel the odd resonance in this record, however, might feel a strange connection. Certainly, it's worth a listen to find out.
