Purging Tongues

Dense and vast in nature, Teitanblood's music has been categorised as chaotic and inaccessible, yet in this musical orgy there is a deep control of that chaos, making it orderly and meaningful, each sonic particle is really thought out to fit into the intricate compositional puzzle. This long track is a reflection of those characteristics while adding a powerful atmospheric element, it should be mentioned that this track was released in the period between the band's first and second album and can be seen as a song that shows the transition to a more haunting and anguished style but still having that great atmospheric charge of the debut album.

Teitanblood's music manages, while still being absorbing and extremely aggressive, to show an aura completely melodic fruit of a religious influence so the result is more exaggeratedly blasphemous, it is impossible not to mention the apocalyptic narration that develops throughout the theme, and that in many occasions becomes the protagonist trace, and is in turn what gives the song that mystical aura. I consider that it is all this accumulation of sounds that at the first instance may sound too noisy and the main reason for many not to like it, and in fact I think that the intention of sounding like this is made by the members themselves, even so if one stops to listen carefully can appreciate the use of bass and rhythm guitar to build a wall of sound extremely powerful on which they let the drums and lead guitar shine, making them sound clear to an attentive listener but in a distant way.

Distant as the vocals, which sound as if they were a sort of screams sounding in a kind of permanent echo, these are more gimmicky than anything else, they won't stand out for their vocal capacity but the music of these Spaniards doesn't need a particularly outstanding voice, the vocals are trapped in that wall of sound and become an element on the same level as the other instruments, used depending on whether Teitanblood wants to play fast or slow passages, because yes, despite the aggressiveness of the sound, this band knows when to encourage those heavier moments, slowing down and thus stimulating the listener to make a long song, with a fairly uniform sound, something that can become entertaining.

This may not be the Teitanblood song with the best riffs, nor the one that best uses that density in favour of the composition (although in these two fields the song delivers more than enough) but the definitive reason why this is one of the best songs in their entire catalogue is because of the impeccable use of narration. To begin with, it is not a resource that is used in only one part of the song, it is used at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, being a global part of the experience, besides, the tone of the narration varies according to the passage and the music adapts to it, making the feeling that is put in each phrase, in each word, to sink in even more. And I really think it is a sad that this is a part that not everyone will be able to enjoy in its entirety, the narration text is based on fragments of the work "The name of the rose" by Umberto Eco and the book of Revelation, making the vocabulary and literary resources of the text gain in complexity and sonority at the time of being recited, really reading it is already a pleasure in itself, but the narrator puts his soul in every moment of this immense text of an apocalyptic character, his mouth is full of prophetic words interpreted with the maximum possible rage and elegance at the same time, not in vain the work was done by one of the best professional voice actors in Spain, the result really seems the interpretation of what would be the sermon of a priest after the sound of Gabriel's trumpet. That's why I have the impression that such an important and well executed element cannot be enjoyed by everyone, because both the interpretation and the text itself are impeccable.

Once again Teitanblood giving us a unique sound and also honouring his native tongue, something that should always be appreciated and welcomed in this scene.

The Black/Death genre has seen a serious uptick in the number of bands in recent years and the quality of output has been varied. A fan reaches one of those inflection points in life where he is bombarded with tons of releases and then he/she suddenly realizes that a reality check is in order. The realization that follows is a result of experience and not something that happens overnight. Some get it and some don’t for the rest of their lives. The zeal to question is probably the most important trait that an extreme metal fan must have after the ability to understand the music . Its here I make this connection with Black/Death and whatever I write I remain within the confines of this genre. Its very easy to get swayed away by the present – new bands, new crushing recordings, raw-ness and chaos; all packaged and marketed to a section of fans who worship these bands/albums and a flimsy production that is supposed to be true and cult. This belief in my strong opinion stems from three facts – 1. A lack of exposure to the past and 2. A lack of interest about the past and, 3. Not enough time spent listening to and absorbing the past; all amplified by a castrated sense of questioning or a complete lack of it.

Teitanblood is one of the most popular bands in the genre, and starting with their first full length – Seven Chalices these guys from Spain have been making quite a bit of noise in the last few years. Purging Tongues is one of their EPs and the best way to describe it is that its a raw and chaotic form of black/death in line with bands like Proclamation, Revenge and Conquerer. I don’t know Spanish so I will not be able to comment on the passages within the EP. I’m guessing it plays a part in communicating the full nature of the album, so I’ll stick to the music. What is the band trying to achieve when it uses riffs that a seasoned listener with one foot firmly entrenched in the past would have grown up with? What is the x-factor? Why operate under the guise of a production that muffles more rather than showcase riffs? The template is pretty basic; raw and chaotic riffing with a production akin to a bootleg/demo from the early 80s. If that’s the novelty factor under the operating motto of “true and cult” then that’s the most flimsy excuse that a fan can hope to hear. Even if I assume that Purging Tongues is trying to pay some sort of tribute to the demo scene back in the 80s and 90s its relevance is completely lost in the modern era. Youtube is responsible for digging up lots of demos and exposing them to the modern generation and that’s good. But, whats troubling is accepting any demo that is being thrown at the listener. On that line, whats even more damning is the fact of acceptance of Teitanblood without any sense of questioning and curiosity as to how it compares to its peers – past and present; and that is dangerous to the extreme metal scene. That’s the same sort of thinking associated with pop music.

The music that Teitanblood created in Purging Tongues is not to question their workmanship, ethics and integrity, but its meant to be a reality check for fans who don’t ask why and what for? Listeners can pick up their recent album - Death, where the band actually is in great form, but this, no.

Also contributed to metalbase.in.

It doesn't seem like long ago but it's nearly 3 years since Seven Chalices was released and after probably several hundred listens I still don't feel like I've taken it all in. Teitanblood create such a thick maelstrom of chaotic complexity that penetrating it takes some serious concentration. The complexity isn't that of musical technicality but that of a thousand swirling and seething snakes that envelope your ears in an all-consuming cacophony. That album had so much going on with fuck-knows how many layers of vocals and spiraling leads that initial disorientation was a near certainty, ongoing even. Seven Chalices shook the bestial/occult/black/death metal (call it what you want!) scene by the throat and this new single sided MLP continues on where the LP left off, plummeting to depths unheard before.

The whole 15 minutes of Purging Tongues, like it's predecessor, succeeds in doing what so many so-called death or black metal releases fail entirely to do - sound EVIL. I don't just mean they have dark doomy riffs like every other band, Teitanblood have the dirtiest downtuned guitar sound that's so swamped in mid-range fuzz that it's positively crackling with electricity. This combined with the layered, multi-tonal vocal attack gives the whole thing an air of malevolence and imposing SIZE that belies the head-count of band members. I know that Usurper from Proclamation played guitar on the LP but isn't mentioned on this one and so we'll assume that this monster of a record was made by just the two permanent band members. I realise that anything is possible in the studio regardless of how many musicians you employ but to appreciate this was made by just two men is astounding. The scale of the noise that comes from your speakers is incredible.

The production itself may be murkier than before but when the snare pierces through the pandaemonium it stabs so violently that you'll be shaken straight back to your senses. The first lull in the music is interrupted by a single snare hit so ferocious that it raised the hairs on my neck and widened my eyes in shock. Likewise the roll that introduces the second act - just when you think it's settling down you're thrown back into the turbulence with no bracing time.

The vocals really though are Teitanblood's sharpest weapon. The variation is the key, the most demonic slurs roar drunkenly over occasional painful more human cries whilst each part of this "song" is punctuated by a Spanish narration speaking of the end of the world (I only know this because I read a translation online!). These spoken word parts overlap with the music and give the whole thing an otherworldly feel due to the language barrier and the spooky delivery, unless you're Spanish I guess and can understand every word.

Teitanblood may have suffered from over-hype these last few years but from their earliest split 7"s with Proclamation and Necros Christos they have always invoked something special with each release. This carries on perfectly from Seven Chalices and it's short length will leave you baying for more. The darkest, ancient and most disturbing evil lives in their records and you invite it into your life at your own risk. Purging Tongues finishes with silence and a whispered "Amen".

Slithering from the bottomless pits of Hades, Purging Tongues is the sound of corruption itself. Busy, blasphemous and relentless, Teitanblood have adopted a take-no-prisoners approach to songwriting with their newest EP, the bands first new material since their brilliant Seven Chalices LP from 2009. Seven Chalices established these Spaniards as one of front-runners in Occult-themed black/death metal, but it really doesn't compare to Purging Tongues in terms of sheer misanthropy. This EP flat out hates your guts, and makes no concessions.

A single track spanning fifteen minutes, Purging Tongues sees an already chaotic and atmospheric band devolve into pure chaos noise and Satanic incantation. The music flows like sacrificial blood down a slopping altar, moving from unhinged noise and devilish chanting to bursts of Blasphemy-meets-Incantation grinding and back again, never giving the listener one second to even comprehend the machinations at work. None of the individual elements are particularly surprising or new for Teitanblood: Seven Chalices featured all the same insane sounds. It's the density of the composition that makes Purging Tongues that much more inhuman.

This density is also as much a curse as a blessing. Purging Tongues has Teitanblood entering Portal territory here, for better or worse. Following individual song elements becomes very difficult in this blistering haze, and it's pretty much impossible to pick out any individual riffs or sections as highlights. Purging Tongues must be taken as a whole or not at all, and at times the whole affair feels over-wrought and directionless. It doesn't help that the production is so uneven: the bass, drums and vocals are very loud in the mix, and they almost completely drown out the weak guitars that grasp for any hold they can find beneath crushing reverb. And holy hell, talk about reverb. The vocals echo for miles and the bass sounds like clattering bones, which while charming in their own way also destroy any hope for the guitars to have a real impact.

Purging Tongues is a ten-tone slab of pure inaccessibility. Just getting your arms around this clusterfuck is an endeavor worthy of legend, but burrowing into this solid black husk will be the real challenge, one perhaps not worth undertaking. Purging Tongues does not lack for ambition, but the busy and bloated compositions left me somewhat cold in comparison to the much more subdued and thought out Seven Chalices. Tetianblood are perched on the edge of Chaos, and hopefully they avoid the temptation to leap into the abyss.

Rating: 7.5/10

originally posted at http://curseofthegreatwhiteelephant.blogspot.com/