Devanation Monumentemples

Sri Lanka, a land shrouded by political warfare, oppression, and interracial hate, would be an ideal breeding ground for the birth of bands incorporating similar lyrical themes and a similar approach to their music. However, Genocide Shrines, hailing from the capital city of Colombo, have little to no hints of such influences in their music or lyrics and pursue a much darker and more primitive approach to their music, and all of their blasphemous vomits are compiled to give birth to their debut EP, ‘Devanation Monumentemples’.

Black/death spat out with tantric animosity and unearthly desires, Genocide Shrines, comprising of Tridenterroccult, BlasphemousWarGoat, NarkotikPerversor, and Khaoshiva, perform a unique blend of black metal and death metal with earnest emphasis on providing chaos. Heavily-distorted razor-like riffs, steamrolling drums, sinister bass lines, and bestial vocals that would make Raavan in the deepest realms of hell stand up and take note, tie the music up very well and is a pleasure to the listener. The production is an added bonus as all the instruments are audible while managing to sound “raw” at the same time.

The addition of an intro, interlude, and an outro add a better dimension to this EP and enhances the listening experience. Even though all the tracks here are stellar, ‘Nectars of Tantric Murder’ and ‘Apparitions of Spiritual Obliteration’ stand out from the rest in my opinion and would continue to remain in my collection till I cease to exist. Genocide Shrines have carved out a sound of their own with their under-20 minute EP and I have to say that ‘Devanation Monumentemples’ is becoming one of my favorite EPs the more I listen to it. Genocide Shrines could be compared to bands like Archgoat, Proclamation, and Teitanblood. With heaps of blessings from Raavan, Genocide Shrines annihilate with no mercy and could be depended on to produce such masterpieces in the future, and I don’t think they will disappoint with the backing of a great record label in the form of Cyclopean Eye Productions.

This solid, mature, and aggressive release from these Sri Lankan blasphemers should not be missed by metal maniacs out there who worship bestial black metal or old school death metal.

Poetics can be waxed and recited about metal - extreme or otherwise - coming from war-torn, developing, third world countries where everyday life isn't as easy as it is in the Europe or Northern America for example. But that is not the issue here. The issue is Genocide Shrines debut EP. The Sri Lankan band has managed to craft something rather unique sounding here. Their blend of death and black metal - mostly death, mind you - has been very popular in the relative underground metal scene for the past few years so to a casual listener their unique sound world might not open up, but there is definitely something there.

The band have taken a cue from the likes of Necros Christos by including an extended intro, interlude and outro within their short, under twenty-minute EP to pace things as they like. The two ambient pieces and the sound clip (presumably from a film) help set the stage for the band's album very effectively. They capture that Subcontinental atmosphere, but do add a distinct flair to it that differentiates it from the general Indian feel. They also help split the four songs of the EP into two different wholes.

Often the bands mixing death and black metal, the way Genocide Shrines do, end up sounding quite chaotic, but Genocide Shrines keeps the whole thing very much under their control. The drums are often blasting and going this and that way and the vocalist is filled with aggression and hate as he intones his invocations. But most disturbingly the guitars are kept constantly in check and under control. The overall sound is very aggressive and quite chaotic, but that is mostly a product of the constantly changing song structure, the frantic drumming and deep, rough vocalizing. The guitars never lose the focal point: To create an atmosphere of dread.

This dread is begun on the first pillar - the intro - and continues to build throughout the album. The self-immolation of the second pillar - the interlude - just increases this, especially when combined with the Bhagavad Gita-reference of the following song. But the constantly increasing pitch and pace and franticness of the second half of the album and the third pillar - the outro - just pushes everything over the edge, creating chaos, maelstrom of no escape.