Vermis (2013)

So...here's another one. Another band that sounds like a Armageddon, but, centralized and controlled. Like a pile of anvils falling off Mount Fuji onto a giant sack of kittens. Ulcerate is a new band to me. When I say that, I mean that I know they've been around for over a decade, but, this is the first thing I've heard from them and I am an idiot for not hearing them sooner.

 

Their sound is very refreshing. What I enjoy the most about this band is that it sounds like, to me, they take a great deal of influence from two things: the sludgier, slower, down-tuned Morbid Angel songs (God of Emptiness, Where the Slime Live, etc), and I could hear a decent amount of influence from veteran doomy-death metal band, Demelich. Not only this, but, Ulcerate's riffage is very erratic and unconventional. Lots of random time signatures, jazzy interludes and downright randomness, without ever losing the blackest-of-midnight undertone throughout the entire record. This is an undeniably heavy, genre-bending, mind-fuck of a release.

 Reckoning is upon the meek. 

Paracletus (2010)

Black metal is a very distinguished, elite and downright snooty subgenre of metal. Many elitist black metal fans have their opinions on what is and isn't considered true black metal. I, honestly, could not give a damn if something is considered "true" or if it's considered sell-out bullshit. I think most black metal warriors can unanimously agree that Deathspell Omega is a great band, plain and simple.

They've been kind of a chameleon as far as styles, starting their existence off as a great, traditional style black metal band, drawing a great deal of inspiration from Norwegian pioneers, like Bathory & Darkthrone. Later on, it's almost as if they all got struck by lightning during a band practice and these crazy random songs just came out of nowhere.

The songs I'm referring to are on my favorite of their records, Paracletus. Now, I have no idea if they had a lineup change anywhere in their career, because they keep their identities anonymous, but it's almost as if the band's chief songwriters got completely replaced. I loved their older stuff, but holy shit, this record....How do I describe it?.....It's basically like....being in a catatonic stage, awake, but asleep, trapped in your own mind, spiraling and twisting out of control into a vortex of destruction. I would compare this album to an audial illustration of organized chaos, choreographed Armageddon, etc. The music makes almost no sense, but makes complete sense, at the same time. This is a very unconventional black metal band, yes, but, still black metal nonetheless. This record...hurts.

This congregation was cast out of humanity.