Brahmavidya: Immortal I

These Singaporean madmen are back with their 6th full length to unleash the hellish brand of Vedic blackened death metal upon the unsuspecting masses. But if you’re a fan you already know what to expect as these guys have been using the same blueprint, ripping your face off since the beginning of their career while dialing the progressiveness and intensity up and down for the most part. On this album, it’s all about the intensity and my word, does it kick some mean ass or what? All their albums are amazing, but this album may just be the one to convert you into the fold if you aren’t a fan already. Unfortunately these fellas only got the deserved acclamation and international recognition by the release of their 4th album, Brahmavidya Primordial I. Quite a shame really, and I would really advise any self-respecting metal-head to go out of his/her way to get all their albums. They really are that good, and you can trust me on that.

As the calm and soothing intro to “Now, Therefore” plays out, you will be unsuspectingly lured into a peaceful trance, only to viciously snap back into metal mode at 0:44 as the song launches into an epic thrashout. What a beginning to the album. It only gets better. “Illusory Enlightenment” starts off on a similar note with a Carnatic clean guitar lick only for the main pounding riff to punch you in the face at 1:04. I can’t feel my nose anymore. The hauntingly spoken Vedic chants at 3:22 followed by a ripping solo only add to the Eastern ambience and intensity. The ending solo of “Supposed Sages Of Sensuality” is also a sublime highlight. There are many more, but I’ll let you figure the rest out for yourself.

Kathir’s vocals are reminiscent of Ashmedhi from Melechesh, just wretchedly savage and destructive in every sense of the word. The drummer Shiva is also another highlight beating the living daylights out of his kit, drumming up a storm and annihilating everything in sight. Taking their inspiration from thrash, death and black metal, the guitars also destroy all, compelling your body to do nothing but jump and bang your head till it fucking falls off. Just listen to “Hymns Of The Immortal Self” “Ravenous Theories Of Deception” and “Sinister Devotion” and be awed at the ability to combine an epic and brutally savage sensibility into a song, using eastern (specifically Carnatic) influences. When you have this sort of a monstrous and maniacal rhythm section, you already know that the album is going to be a fucking masterpiece from the get go. I had this sadistic grin on my face from the time the 4th song “Vultures Of Slavery” when those gritty and thunderous drum rolls and riffs kicked in, as I just knew that there was no way in hell that I was not going to love this album to bits.

This is a slight step away from the experimental and almost progressive Brahmavidya Transcendental I and kind of a throwback to the vicious attack of Kurukshetra and Brahmavidya Immortal I, with an impeccable and full-sounding production job compared to the slightly hollow and less punchy production job of their earliest albums. Guaranteed to make heads roll. Listen to the final and most pummeling song “Advaita Samrajya” where their thrash influences are most apparent for sure. Here Shiva just kills it, along with the rest of the band of course.

And these songs are just relentlessly paced. Only towards the end of “Sinister Devotion” and the intro of “Embryonic Theologies” and “Hymns Of The Immortal Self” (awesome song by the way) do these guys actually slow down a bit. Otherwise it’s just a merciless beating through and through that leaves you gasping for breath as your mind struggles to comprehend how good these guys are. Unless you’re a pure gothic metal fan (why I’d never know) or still stuck in the metalcore phase for some obnoxiously weird reason, regardless of what sub-genre of metal tickles your fancy, you need this album.