Chytridiomycosis Relinquished

‘Chytridiomycosis Relinquished’ is what happens when overly active talents apply themselves to musical forms that tend to benefit from the sloppier touch, such as death/doom. Steered by the combined abilities of guitarist Xander Bradley, Bassist John Ridley, and drummer Ryan Sheperson of progressive death metal outfit Cryptic Shift, Slimelord was originally conceived as a neat, primitive counterpoint to the high minded technical soundscaping of their flagship project. But with three EPs now under their belts, Slimelord have organically grown into a more disruptive, restless entity than your average death/doom tackle.

It’s not simply a case of ‘Chytridiomycosis Relinquished’ being far more wide ranging or musically accomplished than the genre standard, it’s the fact that – and this is apparent even in Cryptic Shift – these musicians are chiefly concerned with crafting elongated and surrealist melodic tangents and noise art curiosities, using conventional techniques (i.e. chord sequences) more as glue to hold all these idiosyncrasies together as opposed to foundational building blocks.

For Cryptic Shift, whilst the technical death metal terrain they operate in tends to reward information overload, a strong case could still be made for asking whether they would benefit from a greater focus on how the meta data stacks up. The Slimelord package, paradoxically, may shine a brighter light on the inner workings of these musicians. Chiefly the fact that for death metal musicians, they seem decidedly uninterested in using riffs as centrepieces in any way. Instead focusing on all manner of extra musical furniture to inject motion and form into these pieces, with traditional melodic or harmonic material deployed as mere framing devices.

For that reason the momentum of this album is highly atypical for death metal. Without warning the material lurches from an almost monomaniacal need to unpack a specific idea to utter incontinence. This ambiguity of purpose beyond a showcase hall for creative vignettes can be frustrating on first listen. It’s therefore worth stating – and I freely admit that this may be the Leodensian bias talking – that this is an album that really benefits from rapid repeat listens. Slimelord, specifically Bradley and Ridley as the main drivers of melodic content, are not your typical technically inclined death metal musicians. They have one eye on riffs for sure, but they are also very mindful of sound design, the use of noise, slides, dissonance, feedback, ambience, percussion, basically any means by which they can manipulate their instruments into expressing the language of death metal through deviant means, beyond the usual endless cycle of riffs.

But it would be a mischaracterisation to say this is avant-garde. It’s true that this album owes as much to Gorguts as it does Incantation or diSEMBOWELMENT. But it’s equally surprising to hear elements of sludge and post metal placed into a situation with drive and purpose, weaponised into framing devices for riffs that bend between unrelenting atonality and the unknowable tangents of late 90s Trey Azagthoth. But it is precisely in this synthesis that frustration bubbles beneath the need to continue listening. Slimelord are every bit as conscious of subverting the atmospheric norms of genre as they are of the diminishing importance of riff organisation within the compositional process. Even Ashworth’s vocals, despite remaining loyal to the industry standard of reverb drenched guttural howls, embraces collapse into arhythmical drone, contrasting formless noise with sharply defined rhythmic contours.

What can at first appear as one constantly unfolding cacophony of content quickly develops into a means of advancing the topography of a – let’s face it – rather stale genre. The cornerstone of Slimelord’s compositional approach is an ever shifting, ever opening complex of information, the structure and cohesion of which is forever in jeopardy, only occasionally threatening to coalesce. For example the main theme on ‘Splayed Mudscape’ receives only a brief recapitulation before being ditched in favour of entirely new and unprepared for material. The album is littered with such subversions, and for that reason contains delights as well as challenges for listeners well versed in this musical lineage.

Slimelord’s first EP ‘The Delta Death Sirens’ was a pleasing, atmospheric, primitive rebuttal to the dense aspirations of Cryptic Shift. But with subsequent EPs ‘Moss Contamination’ and ‘Insurmountable Peril’ I became increasingly convinced that there was just too much musical ability packed within this entity to effectively treat death/doom, it being the subgenre of death metal that benefits most from amateurism. Think the stripped back approach of Winter or Asphyx and the fact that through the austere efficiency of their contrasting approaches they end up short-circuiting their way to truly profound explorations of finality and decay.

With the long await debut ‘Chytridiomycosis Relinquished’, Slimelord have both proven me right and shown that it just doesn’t matter. The canvas they wish to paint on is very different to these artists. There is one eye on decay and drone as compositional tools within the doom metal armoury, but these are placed alongside dense terrains of jagged, razor sharp riff based material, capitalising on their antagonisms and contrasts in a manner transcending any minutia over technique or ability. As with any work disruptive to our preconceptions of artistic governance, it pleases as much as it frustrates. New angles confront the listener with each fresh spin. It raises many questions for those invested in this arena. And, perhaps most importantly of all, reminds us that despite how cluttered our content feeds have become, there are still limitless vistas of sonic territory yet to be uncovered.

Originally published at Hate Meditations

British swamp-lurking death-doom metallers Slimelord finally gives us their debut album after some killer EP’s. Set for release via 20 Buck Spin on March 8th.

Estranged, gargantuan death metal takes its formless stride from the abyss. Slimelord have not only refined their swirling murk but injected it with even more otherworldly progressions. Akin to several band members other band Cryptic Shift, there is some dissonant Voivodian insanity creeping in this time around. The lurking vocals and drudging guitar riffs with crisp drum recording have a sinuous texture as stringy tendrils reach out to you. Booming with reverb and giving a very chasmic sound, this album has the art and production to match the musical finesse while retaining all of the grotesqueries this sonic punishment can deliver. Spasming with putridity as they spawn the cosmic swamps with their soundscapes, each unexpected twist inhumanly drags us down eldritch passages darker than the last. An unmistakably sepulchral stench emanates around this unusual recording yet it does not rely on the usual tropes of many contemporary death metal artists. Indeed this thing feels archaic and mysterious yet futuristic and unearthly. A baffling yet fantastic juxtaposition that renders a truly fascinating result if these early moments are a hint to what we are in for.

Descending into either further depths, or propelling into further reaches, I cannot be sure. Either way, the unhinged departures from predictability while remaining ultimately true to form are spectacular. Inspired lead guitars and eerie riffs culminate in a luxurious mixture of disgust and interest. Drums remain consistently tight but varied in texture and the low end is equally fluid. The entire band move separately without stepping on each-other’s toes, yet in a manner that feels conjoined and coherent. The guttural vocal delivery and layer of slime across the whole tonality of the instruments certainly ties things together. As do those gloomy, swaying atmospherics. Although full of ambience, a feeling of purpose remains throughout. This aids the meandering oddities of the record to not lose the momentum or impact of those more savage passages. This concoction certainly feels magnificently crafted and comes together gloriously, yet naturally in all of its organically spewed morbidity.

With gut-wrenching tonality and whiplash hooks, there is something so percussive and affecting about the rhythms of this album. They tap into this primal spirit before propagating the spores of swamp-ridden alien life from within the human vessel they take over. Ingesting this record is a truly rewarding experience that warrants repeating as a result. Ridden with a miasmatic ichor, Slimelord takes what they did on the EP’s to a logical conclusion, making a debut album that is genuinely such a pleasure to witness. The growth has been steady and all-the-more valid as a result, the proof being in this monolithic offering. Until its viscous conclusion “Chytridiomycosis Relinquished” will leave your jaw agape at its rancid resplendence. Forging the two strengths of uniqueness and old school loyalty in near-perfect harmony, this is the ultimate in innovation that doesn’t abandoned being a real death metal record. A pulsating mass of macabre and deformed energies that seeps into the veins every time you will encounter it. And if you are anything like me, it shall be more than once because there is so much to rejoice about on this album, so relinquish control of the senses and let it possess you.

A tomb-splitting opus of slimy tendrilous death metal excellence. Cranium-bending oddities and primitive swamp-lurking combine forces to grant a fetid out-of-body experience. With utterly mesmerising musicianship, a flawless production and stunning artwork to convey their best material to date; Slimelord gave us a wonderful debut album. Graven, otherworldly, malignant and warped are but a few adjectives that loosely summarise this cerebral, charnel journey. I suggest you simply embark upon it for yourself…

Written for www.nattskog.wordpress.com