Chthe'ilist

Le Dernier Crépuscule

BY Liam GodfreyPublished Jan 27, 2016

7
Profound Lore are certainly not fooling around when it comes to putting out the most punishing death metal recently, whether it's last year's massively acclaimed album from Abyssal, Cruciamentum, Pissgrave, or anyone else. Just to drive the point home, here is yet more aural savagery many of you tech-death fiends out there will be sure to consume voraciously.

With music complex and confounding as their name, Chthe'ilist pound, groove, thrash and conjure up dissonant, technical hymns from the murky lagoons of a fourth dimension on their new LP, Le Dernier Crépuscule. Unquestionably indebted to such old school greats like Demilich and Adramelech, the record shoots the listener through a wormhole, wherein one is stretched, flattened and torn asunder by tentaculoid riffs and rhythms. The musicianship is top-notch; tone and style combine to build an ominous atmosphere, where the licks groove, blast-beats thunder and solos rip, all while retaining a good sense of structure and balance throughout each composition. The bass here warrants a special mention: It's never content to simply hide behind the rest of the technical onslaught, rivalling the guitar work with equal precision and meticulousness, pulling you into its mercurial orbit.

With seven songs clocking in at a near 53 minutes, there's plenty of space here to explore and revisit, especially the 13-minute tech-trek that concludes the album. Although at times things can feel a little long and drawn-out, overall, Chthe'ilist impress with this debut.
(Profound Lore)

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