Risus ex Mortuus

Rigor Sardonicous are a band that no one's heard of. I had no idea who they where either, and I still wouldn't, if it wasn't for the rather excellent demo download thread on the forums. It's not surprising that they're so obscure either- not that they're a terrible band, but because this is by far the weirdest, most demented metal i've ever heard

What we have here is a strange, super odd take on funeral doom. The guitars are super quiet, basically inaudible, providing a thin layer of trebly fuzz over the extremely loud bass. By 'bass' I don't mean the bass guitar, I just mean a band of frequencies around 70Hz or so, an impenetrable wall of sub sonic mud that covers everything. While I wouldn't recommend this production technique to anyone this side of Sunn O))), it does sound fairly cool, in it's own whacked out way.

So basically, I can't comment on the riffs, but even though you can't hear them, a very effective mood is set. The complete lack of top end makes the whole record extremely oppressive and crushing.. the production induces sensory deprivation, which definitely helps the atmosphere. Oddly enough, the drums do sound a bit better, and they hint at an impressive amount of diversity. While they're happy going along at a slow, deadly pace, they do occasionally break out into some speedy flurries, and even some extremely fast blast beats, like in Parasitosis. Still, the moments you recognise are rare, with almost everything sounding like some sub sonic drone.

So chances are, you can tell this album will sound pretty unique. But I haven't mentioned the vocals yet- and they're completely demented. The singer must put them through a huge amount of filters, because while they're not mixed too low, and he's not that guttural, you can't hear a thing he's saying. Sometimes, they sound like gurgling, but often you wouldn't think it's a human voice. Seriously, I thought it was some weird electronic percussion when I first heard it!

This is a really, really weird album. I've said that a few times, but it needs to be repeated. This is weird! Despite the weirdness though I can't hate it. There's a terrific, crushing atmosphere here, and there is enough variation to keep you interested. Would I recommend it? I guess so. Sure it's not the best album ever, but the sheer weirdness of it makes it a good curiosity item for you all, at the very least.