Dare the Wings of the Singing Wreaths

For the ninth time, Chris Possessed (yes, I know it's Chris Passas, but this is what I'm calling him from now on because he seems certifiable and "Elephant" sounds too cuddly) presents his adventurous, relentless and insane vision of metal.

Whether it's his riffing, his production or a combination of both, his music truly resides in its own space and time. It's all perfectly skewed, ugly but unabashedly so. Every sonic aberration, which I myself have criticized in previous reviews, seems like an intentional part of the musical tapestry like separate patterns briefly converging with the song before returning to the blessed realm where they normally reside. Songs rise and fall like the musical equivalent of a soliloquy, rarely repeating a previous sentence while building toward their final call to action. Sometimes a song will feel like it's ending then a new thought will spark and ignite Passas' zeal once again like at 3:42 of "Kindling Flights of Euphoria," pushing you toward a stronger conclusion than you expected a riff or two ago. Another weapon in his arsenal is the lyrics. Wild but coherent, they need to be read on their own because they're just that stunning. It's like a lost collaboration between Lee Dorrian and John Arch. Just listen to "Psyvapors Whirl At Harvest." It's like he's trying to teach you something! This is beyond avantgarde metal. He's serious! A lot of fire spews from those jaws and his emotional resonance is phenomenal considering his unforgiving vocal delivery.

The alien percussion that introduces "Cloudchains Surround the Circling Titans" immediately centers you into the song. Yes, this is Chris Possessed's universe for the duration of the album and you're just a guest here. At 3:13, this madman parts the sky to reveal a power at which "The Ivory Heavenscape" only hinted and oh my fucking goddamn almighty does this rule. It's like pure energy buzzing around titan insectoids using their massive wings to hammer out those rhythms in a symphony of thunder from the storm on Jupiter while smaller fractals of these bizarre creatures integrate into every minute aspect of your identity. Apologies for freaking out those of you who are reading this high, but it's heavy, man. It's one of the most astounding atmospheric sections I've heard in metal and what sounds like a benediction in the final riff is one of the creepiest moments of the album. I also think he's summoning the mothership at 1:06 of "Kindling Flights of Euphoria."

The way Passas uses the bass as a constantly changing melody, rarely sounding anywhere near what the guitar is playing, becomes evident in "Spaectrum of the Viperspath." The entire song could be a highlight, but the specific part I'm referencing lies beyond the slithering of zigzagging riffs that got you there in the first place, during one of the greatest doom sections in recent memory, at 4:11 where he plays such a simple yet almost funky bassline that I wouldn't think it could work in this kind of song. Another bass highlight comes at 1:04 of "Dare the Wings of the Singing Wreaths" where that simple thump and slide perfectly complement the odd timing of the guitar.

You're still paranoid over fractal insectoids usurping your mind? Come on, dude. They all know.

Also of importance is the drumming which sounds thicker here than on previous albums. The liner notes don't say whether he's still using samples. Even if he is it's like he abandoned traditional drumming and redefined percussion using whatever primitive hand drums he stole from the crib of that baby on the cover of Black Sabbath's Born Again, most obvious on "Thrall of Dancing Effigies." His rhythms have been getting more elaborate since The Defining Choice and this album pushes the envelope even farther.

Unlike the seeming majority of one-man projects, Chris Possessed's music focuses not on extreme ideologies, adolescent misanthropy, or a pathetic lack of self-confidence, but on the visionary determination of one who sets out to find the worlds that he has seen and claim his territory in life by his own self-validated volition. Maybe he really is the Moonslayer! This is the polar opposite of depressive suicidal isolationism. The depth of his concepts, the stellar riffing and the sublime composition would shock Wrest and Malefic out of their darkest childhood nightmares and show them how it's all going to be okay. Dare the Wings of the Singing Wreaths is like the shapeshifting cyberspawn of Voivod and Emperor: conceptual, progressive, black euphoric chaos metal or a similar approximation of a genre that doesn't exist yet. In what universe did this lone wolf learn to write like this? His uniqueness was evident even on the attempted bestial invasion of his dreadful debut, but you would have had to be a legit psychic to foresee that he could be capable of evolving the way he has.

You know you like a band when each new album makes you hope there's a lot more where that's coming from. I can't recommend this guy's music enough. Join with the chant that initiates the album and absorb every new landscape these songs offer before it's time to glide away on that final riff to wherever this pioneer plans to take you next.