Mysterivm Magnvm

Temple Of Gnosis's Mysterivm Magnvm EP is a very strange bit of business. A post-industrial, dark ambient, death metal exegesis of an occult text, the very reading of which could render one insane; it is at once puzzling and refreshing, unlike anything I've ever heard.

Dense dark ambient passages, with washed out echoes of horns, synths, strings, and monastic choral work, pulsate behind grinding mechanisms of guitar, bass, and drums (very Streetcleaner-esque) whilst harshly distorted vocals alternate between monotone roars and ecstatic religious invocation. All this arising from a bottomless black hole of production so deep and clean that every nuance can be heard throughout the various layers of distortion, reverb, and industrial effects. Rare is a work of death metal that actually feels unsettling or scary but Temple Of Gnosis craft an atmosphere of unremitting alchemical horror, like they've tapped into an unholy black mass from very edges of the Outer Dark.

Mysterivm Magnvm is undoubtedly a challenging listen set to divide opinion. I come down on the side of incredible potential but certain limitations keep me from ebullient praise. At variance is the lack of dynamics at play; each of these four tracks is set at a similar tempo of trudging monotone and the riffs are hardly dynamic enough to attract immersive attention -- indeed the soundscapes behind them are far more enveloping. If Temple Of Gnosis can hone in on these details, they could harness a truly unique and monumental sound into an everlasting timeless album.