Towards Nebulae

I'm not sure if I've ever really made it clear or not, but when it comes to regional death metal scenes, I actually find Finland to be one of the worst. Weird right? I don't deny that it's certainly one of the most instantly recognizable, with the frequent influence from doom metal lending to some crushing slow sections and the ever-looming spectre of Demilich over the entire scene pushing everybody to sound like their instruments were formed out of an alien swamp, but I'm going to pick America or Sweden every fucking time if given the choice. The thundering megalith that is Nespithe is one of the only things out of that entire scene that's really stood the test of time to me (alongside Adramelech's debut and that one Rippikoulu demo) while everything else runs the gamut from "alright I guess" to boring to bad. I don't really plan on justifying myself further, but hopefully this should elucidate why I'm so fucking lukewarm about the "Timelich" style that's gotten so popular in recent years.

Anyway, enter Towards Nebulae, which isn't an exact representation of the particular strain of death metal I'm talking about, but is pretty close and shares the aforementioned ancestral homeland. While this is slightly more grounded and less abjectly fuckin' weird than Demilich, it does share some of the same distant, alien qualities that ties Finndeath together. Seriously, these leads sound like they're being broadcast from GN-z11. And hey man I like the idea of something sounding completely foreign, but the problem is that any extraterrestrial creativity Desecresy showcases is drowned out by some frustratingly unengaging riffs and some straight up fucking terrible vocals.

The main guy here, Tommi (formerly of Slugathor, probably the closest sonic comparison) has been "the guy" behind Desecresy since the beginning, but it was actually a two-man band for the first four albums. While I haven't heard any of those albums, I can only assume he's world's better, he has to be. Tommi here sounds like a cross between Rami Jamsa from Convulse and your dad making fun of the music you like. He sounds like he was born without a tongue and a massive underbite and then just whispers really angrily. There is no power in that voice, and frankly the music doesn't fare much better. This is about as muscular as a plate of Jell-O, and these grinding, mid-paced riffs that take up a huge chunk of the runtime sound like they're aiming for a doomy overtone like Asphyx or Krypts but instead just land on weak and amateurish. There's also a bizarre disconnect between the several instruments at play, each one sounding like it was recorded in a different spelunking expedition. I know "cavernous" is a really overused term in the modern death metal scene but it's pretty much right on the money here. I know I compared it to sounding like it's billions of light years away, but at the same time it sounds so barren and earthy that it could simultaneously be coming from a dripping cave right underneath your feet. It's very "watery" sounding, but instead of violent thrashing as you try not to drown, it sounds like you didn't realize you were underwater until you were a few miles down, the music manifesting as a few gurgling blubs that reach the surface long after you try to scream.

Now, that should be cool, but I think I opened this with a brief screed against Finndeath because Desecresy is so emblematic of my basic problem with it. There's no doubt that it, as a general rule, takes an approach that aims to overwhelm the listener with incomprehensible atmosphere, but in doing so it sacrifices exactly what I love so much about death metal in the first place. In aiming for such a goal, they completely eschew the raw, pugilistic spirit of the genre itself. Death metal may be at its best and most interesting when it's completely divorced from thrash metal (Altars of Madness is a classic for a reason), but there's a particular saying about reinventing the wheel that I just can't help but think of here. Tommi tried to out-clever himself here and removed the very fangs that are supposed to hook you in the first place. This holistic bleakness pads the gloves of the fist that by all means should be punching me to death, essentially tying big pillows with a cartoon skull on them over Mike Tyson's hands. These riffs have no fucking punch, is what I'm saying. Towards Nebulae is nothing but soft edges in a washed out haze. There was a time in history when the Extremely Online metal snobs pegged Finndeath as some sort of higher form of death metal that transcended itself into something entirely new, and yeah that's true to an extent, but they achieved this by working against their own strengths. This obviously isn't a hard and fast rule, but Desecresy is just another band I can point to when I find myself needing to explain why this legendary scene leaves me so cold. If distant watery solos, muddy riffs, and cacophonous percussion is your thing, then hey you might love this. But for me, I'll give some props to "The Damned Expedition" for being pretty good, but it's with the caveat that it's because it's one of the most straightforward and simple tracks on the album. Everything else is a weird, incomprehensible mess and it's just not for me.


Originally written for Lair of the Bastard

Desecresy is an interesting name, I wonder how many people read it differently than I did, perhaps resembling something closer to the word "secretary" for some. I went into this with no expectations and as usual that pays off. This is a strange kind of lo-fi death metal that I can't really pin to an era despite the band stating 90's influences. They also use a level of dischord in their music that always brushes my fancy, it's hard to explain but it's a kind of tone not unlike a warped cassette tape or a fever dream.

This is one licky album and I love the way the "solos" sit in the back of the mix like a malicious presence ambling forward on top of a disgusting machine. The guitar-work is what really sells this LP for me and I honestly expect no less from Finland and their love of melody even against absolute crushing darkness. It doesn't feel like it's trying to be heavy for the sake of it, there's something here that is communicated well - it's definitely using a different approach than many of the safer death releases this year. The focus appears to favor delivery over clarity and I respect that. When they do use clarity, such as the guitar licks, it's effective without diminishing that intent.

This is a solo project! I mean that entirely, one entity did the music, production and artwork for this high quality release that is commonly referred to as a band and in the past has indeed been such. This is perhaps the most complete "one man band" package I've covered so far in terms of it's scope and ability to contend with serious bands in the genre currently. Even the vocals are top notch - noteworthy for their lower register as well as their interesting placement in the mix. It's dope dirty.

As the album progresses the Bolt Thrower inspirations definitely become apparent and as someone who only just got into Bolt Thrower I can really appreciate having that context. It's more of a sound I'm currently enjoying but with it's own twist that shines. Heading towards the end of the album everything seems to slow down or spread further apart leading to the final and slowest track of them all, "Forms In Echos". As a whole it occurs so evenly that one can forget they are listening to it as they go about their tasks and hobbies of the day. It's an easy repeat and I can only hope for a cassette release at some point.

It's a must listen that will likely scratch that itch left by any disappointment from safer death metal releases thus far in 2019.

Originally posted at www.noobheavy.com