Aletheia

In a situation where an album like "Dunes" is created, two options generally arise as to further publishing activity: remain a one-record band or - less optimistically - delude themselves with subsequent recordings that they will refer to the majesty of their predecessor. We did not have to wait too long for the answer, because already 3 years after the debut, when the Canadians decided to release a smaller release entitled "Aletheia", where, surprisingly, something much different happened. Well...the trio slightly deviated from the previously chosen course, towards much more mainstream (?) varieties of technical death metal bordering on deathcore! And it's so strong that the initial contact with "Aletheia" may turn out to be a simple disappointment.

It quickly turns out that such changes were not really the point here. It's nice that the Canadians didn't record a copy of the predecessor, but it hurts that they drastically pushed the cheerful atmosphere of Lykathea Aflame in favor of progressions like The Faceless or Fallujah. Obviously, the second of these patterns are also quite original; the problem is that "Aletheia" compared to this bands does not intrigue and - unlike "Dunes" - does not offer too much more than technical metal in a progressive flood. Yes, it sounds nice, the technique neatly fits into Canadian standards, and the whole cd does not reveal all layers after the first few listenings. Unfortunately, the problem with "Aletheia" is that it lacks madness, oriental melodies, audible bass (generally one of the biggest disappointment on this album) and naturalness. Previously, the group was able to create something unique and unusual on the basis of inspiration, but here Sutrah sounds like many other technical bands. It's not bad to listen to, because "Lethe" is a piece of proper prog-death, and the main guitar theme is really catchy, but the calm introductions in the form of "Umwelt" and "Dwell" slowly build a dreamy atmosphere (strongly similar to Fallujah) based on guitars without distortion. An interesting case is the 15-minute "Genése" ending the ep, which is the only one that neatly refers to "Dunes" and makes sense of its colossal size.

In the thesis at the beginning of the review, it should be pointed out that a much better solution would be to remain a one-record band. Perhaps this is a bit too hasty in the context of "Aletheia", which is only an ep, but there are some doubts about it, as the earlier oriental sounds have been pushed to the back in favor of these refined and more accessible ones. In such a situation, there is nothing else but to recommend a complete return to the atmosphere of "Dunes".

Orientally on A bit of subjectivism...in metal

Sutrah are a relatively young band from Montreal, Canada. They play an interesting strain of death metal that is equal parts technical and progressive, albeit for the progressive angle to really shine, several laps around their tunes are required. Sutrah is comprised of Claude Leduc on guitars, gangsa and vocals, Alex Bao on bass and chants, and Laurent Bellemare as lead vocalist, who’s handling chants and gangsa as well. The drums for the record have been performed, recorded, and co-arranged by Kevin Paradis.

Aletheia is the band’s sophomore release, and it is absolutely smashing. While it is just an EP, it feels like a highly condensed full-length from many different points of view. Clocking in at just a little over twenty-eight minutes, the EP manages to cram a whole lot of things into such a modest runtime. It is a very high octane collection of songs, mostly assaulting the listener for the entire trip. Now, while there’s an indisputable weight to this approach, there’s also a certain flair in how this bludgeoning delivery is laid down.

The first three songs are rather misleading, in the sense that they hold back. They do not fully acquaint us with what the band can do in a more unhinged kind of way, and neither do they retain any particular charm. Sure, they’re very solid songs, but that’s just it, nothing more. They all basically pave the way up to what is the star of the show: “Variation II.ii – Genèse”. I’m calling it the star of the show because this track basically puts the other three into perspective and manages to give context to the whole affair.

“Variation II.ii – Genèse” is an absolute mammoth in its own right, and could just as well have been a one-song EP as it is. It is dense at a nigh-insane level. It has basically everything you could possibly ask from a relentless death metal song and then some. I could spend an exhaustive amount of words describing every increment, or I could let each and every one of you see for yourselves what it really entails – I’ll be going with the latter.

The record is very well knit-together, partially due to how it’s written, but also due to the tones that have been crafted to voice the laid-out structures. For the most part, the production also catalyzes all of this into a neat, polished whole. I would however note that sometimes, it just feels like something is off, as if certain bits are panned oddly or made louder/quieter. Considering the way the final product sounds like, I am convinced it is not by any means due to sloppy production or some sort of error, but rather a stylistic choice. Quite honestly, I’m not sure how to feel about it, especially since I really like everything to be perfect on this end. Maybe some kind of odd-balled imperfections were deemed necessary to convey what was desired?

At any rate, Aletheia is a powerful display of prowess and phrasing, even if it isn’t groundbreaking within this niche. It doesn’t have any noticeable lows, nor does it feel like it meanders in any way. It manages to take the double-edged sword of consistency and turn it into a massive singular advantage; it also manages to retain a good engagement factor while not going crazy on the diversity angle, which is also quite a feat. It’s definitely a must listen for the fans of the genre!

originally published at: https://everythingisnoise.net/reviews/sutrah-aletheia/

Sutrah has had quite some hype behind them with their debut album from 2017 Dunes getting some absolutely raving reviews back then. Personally I never heard it and their new EP Aletheia was going to be my entry into the band which features some very talented musicians with a resumé from bands like Svart Crown, Chthe’ilist, Benighted and Serocs. Would it live up to the hype?

I will be honest, at first I was not that keen on this album. The first listen I thought was a snooze fest and I was ready to just give this album a miss (as I generally don’t write reviews on albums I don’t like). However I went back to it a few days later, a new mindset perhaps or whatever as all of a sudden it just clicked. The album is beautiful, elegant and just reeks of wonderful instrumentals with killer vocals. So what changed during those days? Well that’s the beauty with music, while I can consume an unhealthy dose of osdm daily that’s not the case with the progressive music. In this case there were too much instrumentals, a slow album and heavy on the atmospheric side. I was not ready for it as I expected something along the lines of Beyond Creation or perhaps Nile (as the promo did mention). With musicians from bands such as Benighted, Serocs and Chthe’ilist being what forms Sutrah I went in expecting more, well brutality. That was not the case at all and it took me by surprise, in a bad way.

Having heard the album 15-20 times now the past two weeks I can safely say my mind is now changed, I shouldn’t have been so set in my ways and thought this is bad because it didn’t deliver what I thought it would. It’s a whole different journey, one where the instrumentals does most of the story telling and the atmospheric side plays a big part on building the road. That being said Laurent Bellemare on vocals does a killer job but that’s not what brings me back to this album, it’s the rather unique experience, the whole package that does it for me. I do find many similarities with this release to when I first heard the album I:Voice from Warforged, which I also found being something special that stands out, but might take a few listens to get into, if you even do as it’s not for everyone. And just like with I:Voice this is an album I will listen to many times in years to come but I do need to have a certain mindset getting into it, this is not something you just put on in the background, when you hit the gym or the likes. This album needs your full attention and it gives a lot back in return if you do so.

Originally written for The Metal Gamer

At first there was s serene meditative vibration and then over that came a blast beat. Don't you love it when that happens? Everyone meet Sutrah, one of the latest additions to The Artisan Era’s roster. Hailing from Canada, this innovative group is doing that thing where you go and blend extreme metal with enlightened vibes AND somehow make it work. I’ve seen it before with bands like Persefone and Irreversible Mechanism but it’s still quite a shock to see it happen, and again it brings an incredibly unexpected sound!  “Aletheia” is the band’s second release, a 4-track EP with the songs blending into each other to put together a singular piece that flows as a whole from the first to the last track.

I’ve always been a fan of contrasting effects in music and this merging of technical death metal with peaceful vibes definitely gets to me. In this case, the blast beats, riffs and deep, guttural vocals clash with an oriental vibe and imagery and they really come together. The instrumental opening track “Umwelt” emerges with a clear, wavy guitar melody around which the drums and other instruments gradually build a full soundscape all the way into a typical tech-death blast beat. It’s a sort of up and down teasing effect that really builds up the anticipation but what I love is how the metal elements seem to revolve around that theme and even when the music gets loud, the tranquil ambiance is still present. It winds up sounding majestic and balanced as opposed to aggressive or brutal. And then the second song hits.

While I wouldn’t particularly describe the first track as just an intro, it is clearly a gradual build-up into the second song, “Lethe” and it’s only on this one that they unleash the full power. It’s a proper technical death metal song with insane riffage, blast beats, growls, crazy musicianship and a ton of energy but it doesn’t shy away from melody and like the intro, it revolves around a main theme that once again, can’t really be described as aggressive. The sound is really full and massive, well worthy of the “wall of sound” description but it also feels somehow light and free, with the guitars harmonizing a lot of the time and the drums maintaining a fantastic cohesive flow. It’s a relentless stream of energy with no bumps in the road and despite some unexpected twists and shifts, the momentum is kept from the first to the last second of the track.

With the third song, “Dwell”, the band slows down again and this time they keep it down. There is no drumming and no vocals, only melody. It gets back into the meditative state with clean guitar chords and occasional overdriven effects fading in and out to create an unreal pulsating effect between silence and vibration. This one is more like an interlude connecting “Lethe” to the album closer, “Genèse”, but it plays an important role in the whole picture of the album. And then we get to the big one. “Genèse” is a 16 minute progressive death metal monster that showcases the band’s creativity and technical capabilities to full extent, bringing together elements from all the previous 3 songs. We have a gradual build-up again and then it’s a flashback to “Lethe” when the tech-death strikes again. And yet, this song has a lot more to show for itself as it shifts through different movements, changes of pace and volume, intense riffs and epic melodies. It even rips through the flow at times with some broken time signatures that have it resembling slamming death metal. There’s a ton of tremolo picking intertwined with chugs and scrapes and the drummer’s constant switching from blast beats to double pedals, kick strums, cymbal strums and transitions is out of this world. He has this insane style of briefly interrupting the foundation of the kick patterns to keep the sound feeling somewhat suspended before it drops back into the onslaught. There’s also use of a weird instrument I’ve never heard before called gangsa, that’s got this beautiful, crystal clear sound cutting through the balanced chaos of the metal elements. I am again amazed at how they could maintain that serene and peaceful atmosphere and blend it into the savagery of death metal so seamlessly. By the time the entire EP is over, I know, despite it being less than 30 minutes in length, that this might be some of the best technical death metal I’ve come across. And to top it off it closes with a haunting acapella choir that has you wondering if you’ve just returned from a spiritual journey through parallel dimensions. I would strongly recommend this release to any fan of technical or progressive death metal, regardless of which bands you are a fan of. The death metal signature that Sutrah have put together is unique and can’t be compared with anything else, and that’s why I love it!

Originally written for The Metal Observer.