The French masters of sonic chaos have summoned forth their 15th album. The lurking unknowns at this point are becoming relied upon. It would have been more surprising for them to come out with a more thrash or doom oriented album than what unfolds here. There is chanting washing up against the dissonance of the second song that lends itself a few moments of music reprieve before the begin punishing you with the creepy cobweb of hellish sounds. Even with the guitars dripping against your ears as if they are melting each time the strings are attacked, the throb settles in and is less disturbing without the function of form to counterbalance it. In laymen's terms , I get the art of what they do , but need songs that show me they are taking this cosmic horror show somewhere.
The interludes on this album contribute little so will focus on the songs. "the Crowning Horror" is more metallic in the way it lashes out and sounds like a cult from an A24 film is at work here. I have a great deal of respect for the free jazz qualities that veer them away from being just another black metal band. I feel there is an element of balance to what they do that if not kept in check , things get lost in the murk. The drums are impressive as they keep carrying everything forward no matter how crazy it gets. With out their drive everything would have fallen apart two songs ago. "the Black Vortex" creates a dizzying swirl of guitar that required multiple listens to full wrap your head around what is going on.
"Nameless Rites" crawls from the previous song with a similar throb to it. If not for the atmospheric guitar melody that manages to hold things together it might have bled into the odd uniformity that can still be found among the chaos. Things delve even further in this direction for "the Ultimate Void of Chaos" . This also carries out into the last song and finds them becoming swallowed up by the droning of the pandemonium that enfolds, which makes for interesting sound , but not compelling songs. For that reason I will round this down to an 8, sure there are cool things going on in terms of the mesmerizing sounds employed but the obtuse altar it raises does not make for catchy songs. After all how progressive or transgressive can it be if we are beginning find the same feel captured repeatedly ?
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