Theovorator: Babelis Testamentum

Does this make me feel positive or negative? In music – as in life – the real points of intrigue are not in the major or the minor, the happy or the sad, but in the interactions between the two. And tonally, music that imitates sounds considered unpleasant to the modern palate – harsh machinery, grinding rocks, animals in pain – is carelessly defined as the opposite to music that imitates the pleasant – birdsong, gentle breezes, people enjoying each other. Again, it is the mechanics of an interaction between the two which is of interest. And more importantly, how and when they combine to invoke a more profound experience than one or the other.

What does all this have to do with Quebecois black metallers Deletere and their latest EP ‘Theovorator: Babelis Testamentum’ (2019)? Well, because it’s a fine example of black metal as a positive force. But, keeping in mind the above reading, this is positive black metal not in the airhead sense of those who disguise their lack of musical insight behind pink album covers and directionless major chord progressions specifically catered to upset the hysterical black metal hordes. No, this is a more profoundly life affirming statement in music, that takes all the familiar building blocks of black metal, and – yes, sometimes runs them through some unabashedly major keys – blends them together in uplifting music with purpose.

How is this done? At its most basic level, by applying a repeated refrain (usually a short riff) through several iterations and several accompaniments – sometimes a simple ascending chord pattern, sometimes by dropping the tempo out – and each one written with the finale in mind. These relatively simple tricks give the music a sense of mission and drive, one that you didn’t know you miss until you hear it on this EP. A razor-sharp guitar tone helps to bring these elements to the fore, along with drums that are required to bolster up the power of the melodic centre of this music without stealing the show. A tricky balancing act that many drummers fail to achieve.

So whilst this is no doubt an impressive release, and a breath of fresh air for those that take unbridled joy in black metal and despair at the ruination it continues to suffer from liberal arts students, it’s important we don’t get carried away. Deletere’s previous full length of 2018 ‘De Horae Leprae’ was a solid slab of melodic black metal done right, but it merely hinted at the narrative maturity that they would reach on TBT. However, this long form composition requires just that, a longer form to reach fruition than a twenty minute EP can allow. This may hint at the lofty heights of ‘The Voice of Steel’, but they remain hints. Nevertheless, this is an impressive EP and comes recommended for those that still believe in the potential for compositional maturity in black metal over and above the liberal avant-garde free for all that some media darlings tried to make of extreme metal in the last fifteen years or so.

Originally published at Hate Meditations