Distortions from Cosmogony

To be perfectly honest, my first impression of Distortions from Cosmogony was loud. Now, that’s not a very helpful comment when you’re already a metal listener and you’re trying to distinguish albums from one another, so I think I ought to say that I found this album impenetrably loud on the first playthrough. The Danish quintet, some of whom have played in other well-known bands like Soilwork and Hatesphere, present a difficult listen high on technicality and intensity that frequently pushes songs to 7 minutes and beyond. Think about how misfit groups like Strapping Young Lad and Darkane, perhaps even Dååth, apply mechanistic drumming to some form of melodic death template, thereby sucking the catchiness out of the sound in favour of an unfeeling barrage of imperious hostility - that is somewhat close to the effect here. Adding to my impression of loudness, the sound produced by The Arcane Order is almost uniformly full, with the small gaps between drums, guitars, and vocals filled by keyboard detailing that either adds further chaos to the equation or occasionally relents to allow for brief respites in intensity.

Still pursuing that notion of Distortions from Cosmogony as a relentless album, these songs deliver more than the expected amount of dissonance. Certainly considering the other acts that these guys have played with, I would have thought that some hooks or grooves might present themselves in the course of 58 minutes; however, The Arcane Order make a deliberate attempt to stifle moments like these. Melodies never follow conventional paths in the manner of typical melodeath, drilling across already oppressive riffs in a manner that reminds me of another Danish group, namely Urkraft, or wheeling about in abstract jazzy shapes to coalesce with some of the more difficult drumming patterns. Some of the guitar leads offer solace, such as the inspiring epic tones in 'Starvations for Elysium', though these are brief interludes in the grand scheme of things. Featuring more regularly, the vocals constitute the final reason for my early judgement of the album, since Kim Song Sternkopf growls with a weighty low tone that he supplements with sustained higher screams, making the focal point just as pregnant with threat as the backing.

It surely makes sense why The Arcane Order did this when we see how weighty their themes are, seeing as the lyrics look at “mankind’s existential struggle between autonomy and submission”. In that light, going for an “intellectual” sound will see Distortions from Cosmogony fit in with progressive and technical outfits, particularly those that enjoy posing challenges to listeners. I’m game to be challenged, but I am more often repelled by the inhuman approach than attracted. As far as this album goes, my repulsion takes a very literal form because the songs seem to reject any sort of lasting contact with my attention - you could say, metaphorically speaking, that I am magnetically turned away from the bulk of the content. My usual concerns about a lack of interesting details or predictable playing do not create issues this time, instead I’m forced to admit that The Arcane Order leave a wealth of unexpected changes within their twisting song structures. The issue is far simpler: I’m just not willing to invest that much concentration to enjoy an album. At the micro level, this release will definitely offer treasures for the dedicated extreme metal fan, but at the macro scale it’s too samey, too serious, too long. In other words, Distortions from Cosmogony does not succeed in putting its inhuman, mechanistic nature into effect by making me feel crushed and insignificant - too often, it just sounds irrelevant to me.

I can see it would be easy to criticize me for not getting what The Arcane Order were trying to do here, but I don’t fully accept that idea. Sure, fans of more technical, more musically complex material will prefer this to those keen on leaving their listening experience with an emotional connection, but I believe that either kind of music should imprint itself on my mind with some lasting impression. The reason I have barely mentioned any of the 8 main songs on Distortions from Cosmogony is simply that I find little of particular note about each one, both while I’m listening (as I am now) and especially after the album has finished playing. In fact, it’s not much of an exaggeration to say that I’m relieved when the noise falls to silence and I can get the album out of my head. To single out one reason for my repulsion, it must be the drumming, though that’s not helped by its position in the mix. I just can’t stomach so much of it. Anyone into extreme drumming, technical performances, feelings of maximum oppression, withering complexity…you eat your heart out. This one’s really not for me.


Originally written for The Metal Observer - https://www.metal-observer.com/3.o/review/the-arcane-order-distortions-from-cosmogony/