Azathoth

Azathoth EP - Review



From the artwork to the logo, even delving into the lyrics, you will notice one thing about this band: They demand to be heard.

With that said, onto the music. It’s really hard to describe this band in terms of their sound because there are so many different layers to the music. With that said, I will do my best to give this EP an adequate review. Before you go on with your comparisons and whatnot, read this review and learn a few things. Now let’s get down to business.

The EP starts out with a melancholic piano intro, giving you a heads up that this might not be your average stereotypical metal band.

We are then led into the hymn "In Darkest Dreams," which can be summed up quite effectively: You know that one song that just sticks with you? The one that you can hum in your sleep and it just has a way of catching you in its trap? Well, this is it. If Limbonic Art and At the Gates combined forces, this song would be the result. Leading the brigade are mid-paced blast beats which compliment the rhythm section very effectively. The keyboards add atmosphere without being too overbearing or mimicking the guitars. Instead, they glide over the song with ease and make the listener feel like they are put in a trance. “In Darkest Dreams” definitely shows that the band can write a great song and not lose any of the speed or determination of the song overall. This song is a great crowd pleaser and definitely a fan favorite.

Now onto the second dirge, "Alhazred," a sheer mix of brutality. The song kicks off with everything you would expect in an attack-to-the-throat kind of song. Blistering rhythms never stop to let you breathe. Instead, they throw you right in front of the daemon-sultan Azathoth to stare into his silhouette eyes, as demonstrated in the album’s cover. I think this is the strongest song on the EP in terms of intensity. Here they have a no-frills approach, with the keyboards taking a back seat and letting the riffs control the overall aspect of the music. The keys are still there, but they take more of a background approach. The bottom line: This song is brutal and it’s the most straight forward track on the album. What I like most is that it never loses its intensity throughout the song. There are moments of Anthems era Emperor tremolo picking frenzy coming into play, with the speed reaching great heights, and then in comes the driving tour de force of vocals. High screams mix with low growls, showing the band’s death/black hybrid sound being embraced. Pummeling aggression throughout the song shows this band can be immensely brutal and make no apologies for it.

The third track, “The Lament Configuration,” wastes no time at all getting right to the point. Here you are treated to a magician's bag of tricks of what this band has to offer, beginning with a grueling "Hellraiser" sample that shows the shape of what is to come next: a barrage of old-school thrash attack accompanied by keyboards in the background that follow the rhythm. The vocals on this song remind me a lot of Akercocke, going from high-pitched screams to low growls. One thing that is impressive about this is how the high and low vocals are traded on and off so much. It’s interesting to see a level of fast playing and vocals that seem to be switched on and off like a light switch. Musically, this song has a lot of parts to it, from the speed and angst of the rhythm section to the somewhat melodic approach to the songwriting. This is a good showcase of the band’s thrash/black/death hybrid sound.

The final display of power is the epic "Amaranth," a solid turning point for this band as far as creativity goes. I really enjoy all aspects of this song. It’s what I think any self-respecting fan of extreme metal would enjoy. The song’s range and what it has to give as far as taking things to a whole new level is demonstrated in the EP earlier on, but on this song you can hear that the band has pin-pointed how to sound brutal and melodic at the same time. You can really hear how they are willing to push the boundaries and not be afraid to take risks. The keyboards on this song take it to the heights that it needs to go. Think Obtained Enslavement (Witchcraft era), where the keyboards are not in the background but are guiding the song, making it far more dramatic. This shows the band’s symphonic nature coming forth and shining. An acoustic break in the middle that reminds me of Ulver (Bergtatt era) adds a nice touch showing once again that the band is not afraid to lose the speed and brutality for an approach that takes the listener to unfamiliar territory. Keep in mind that it may throw you off a bit at first to hear a band that is focused on speed throw a curve ball into the mix with the use of acoustics. I applaud the creativity on this song and all of the ingredients it has to offer. However, the most impressive thing about this song happens at about 5:16 into it. You can hear how deadly serious they sound about driving the song home and putting the final nail into the coffin. There is no more fucking around. The band has thrown the stones at you and wants you to feel how devastating they can be. Parts like this let me know that they can really hold down the gauntlet when they want to. While the keyboards really match the intensity, vocally it has the strongest high screams on the album and I can see how emotive yet dark and sinister they can be at the same time. This is the purity of the band right here shown in its blackest form. With lyrics talking about the beauty and art-form of necrophilia, done in the poetic Edgar Allan Poe style, it shows that not only is the music effective, but the lyrical content paints a nice putrid picture to match. I almost feel the need to go and dig up some pretty "Sally" from her grave and show her my infinite love and chaos. That’s how much I can see the lyrics coming to life. All in all, a great demonstration of what this band has to offer as far as powerful songwriting goes, foreshadowing what is to come from these bright necrophiliacs.

Closing the EP is yet another piano piece done in the same sorrowful vein as the opener. It’s a fitting conclusion to end the EP on a farewell note.

Overall, points for this band. This CD is extremely well-produced and the artwork is killer. Everything is professional about this release. This is metal for the open-minded. If you’re expecting raw music, you won’t find it here. Instead, you’re treated to a highly well-executed debut. With that said, no review would be complete without criticism. After all, no band is perfect enough to make "…Master of Puppets" over and over again. The biggest flaw I can see is the vocals because they lack intensity at times. I would like to see what these gents can pull off when they go full throttle on the vocals, spending less time worrying about when to gurgle and when to scream and instead just letting the emotion of the music guide the vocal approach. Something else to consider is the fact that there are so many styles of metal going on in this release. It makes me wonder what direction the band is going to take on future releases. At times the music can be a bit confusing because there are so many things going on. The listener’s first reaction may be to think of Azathoth as a symphonic black metal band because of the keyboards, but there is far more going on here then just some simple Dimmu Borgir or Cradle of Filth nonsense. It can be deceiving, but give it a nice thorough listen and open up your mind to something unlike your typical cookie-cutter death metal or black metal band. Of course there are some cliche moments on the CD, which no band can avoid, especially with their first release, but overall I think these lads have a bright future and I look forward to further releases. Maybe if they are really successful in their attack they will awaken the Old Ones.

-Derek Soul Rape-