Review: The Vomit Arsonist - An Occasion for Death

 

Another Malignant Records release they were kind enough to send my direction. We have, The Vomit Arsonist's "An Occasion for Death." Join me in what will assuredly leave you questioning reality.
A slow churning in the bowels of the machine quietly hide behind a powerful sample starting off "An Occasion for Death," on the first track, "Think God Out of Existence."  The churning becomes more alive, gradually increasing in volume and depth. The voice gives way to the atmosphere. Slow, meandering, oppressive, moving with a distinct goal.

"At the Edge of Life, Everything is an Occasion for Death" flows from the aftermath of "Think God Out of Existence." Darkly ambient, haunting. A slow, tortured, drum beat begins to take form; plodding and enhancing the ominous field of sound. A shrill voice takes hold. Distorted and eerie, seemingly wrapping around the ears. Droning, but intriguing. Never allowing one to drift off, or forget where they are.

"Invita Minerva" boils through. Haunting, delayed vocals, echo throughout sending chills down the spine and embedding deeply. Rolling, static noise lie just behind, rumbling and swarming. Slow, but effective in its crawl. "Black Bile" comes in on the hindquarters of "Invita Minerva" with another slowly plodding, highly mesmerizing drum pattern. Tribal-like in their demeanor.  The distorted vocals reappear, menacingly, agonizingly. The voice becomes more strained, giving way to unnerving effects, ending the track on an unpleasant note.

"Torn Between Will and Desire" sways into the ears. Swooping back and forth, hanging among a cloud of despair. Noise infiltrates harshly but not unbearably. Penetrating high ends mingle amongst a low creeping torture that sluggishly brings brute drumming into play. Whispers of insects play to and fro with harsh vocal disturbances that crumble and decay leading to "The Absurd." A clutter of natural sounds mix with high-end murmurs as the ghastly voice once again makes its appearance, unintelligibly, drenched in affliction. The sounds of metal scrape along once again, chilling the spine. Aptly titled, "A Means to an End," comes in as the last track of the album. Setting foot into a natural setting, clanging, chopping, surgical, like the ambiance of a morgue. Disturbing, fleshly sounds introduce another sample spoken in foreign tongue. The machine continues its churning, contorting the background clatter. Returning is the distorted, anguished voice. Making its final, unsettled, appearance. The horrifying atmosphere sets on edge, the fears unknown. The subtleties and combinations of sounds allow for the mind to enhance as it pleases. Before long, the aura fades away. The sounds have dissipated but the feeling is residual in bone. Walking away, no longer feeling secure. A magnificent feat to achieve.

Review: Aderlating - Gospel of the Burning Idols

Everyone is familiar with Mories, the mastermind behind Gnaw Their Tongues, De Magia Veterum, Cloak of Altering etc. Aderlating is one of Mories' many projects (this one he is partnered with  Eric Eijspaart for) and one I continually find myself going back to time and time again. "Gospel of the Burning Idols" was released earlier this year through the always outstanding, Malignant Records, who were kind enough to supply me with this album for a review, in a glossy, sleek CD sleeve.  

The diversity of sounds throughout "Gospel of the Burning Idols" are nearly unfathomable, if it weren't for the fact that they're all here. In all of their glory. A low rumble ruptures the silence and sets us forth onto our journey by means of the aptly titled opening track, "Opening of the Tomb." Haunting, mesmeric vocals break the soundscape menacingly, for the most part, unintelligibly. Drumming begins to infiltrate the cacophonous field, quiet, but prominent as the static rumbling carries on.

The magnitude of outstandingly interwoven sounds make Aderlating stand strong against a crowd of inferiority. Every range is present and dynamic, and no layer is anymore overwhelming than another. At times, simplistic changes or repetition take hold, captivating ears and mind. While other more complex alterations jar and arouse. The dark atmosphere becomes reminiscent of a late stroll through a dank, musky cavern. Things are lurking. They are watching, and these are their thoughts spewing forth. Many will try, but few will accomplish such success in sound. To hear all the intricacies of this album, I recommend solitude, an open mind and of course, anticipatory ears.

I don't feel the need to write out a lengthy review of each and every track. I would rather give a brief but detailed synapses of the album as a whole and allow you to develop your own thoughts of the remainder of the album. The tracks are short enough to keep a solid attention-span but long enough to deliver an unnerving, captivating, and strangling oppressiveness. This is not for the weak-minded or feeble-gutted. Aderlating have really found a solid sound here that is almost refreshing in the most sinister of ways.

A few samples are available on the Malignant Records website, here, http://www.malignantrecords.com/releases/4503

If you enjoy dark, noisy, atmospheric oppression, then by all means, head over, give a track or two a listen and if you can get behind the work of Mories and Eric, then throw your money towards it.