ALBUM REVIEW: Grave Miasma – Abyss Of Wrathful Deities

U.K. Blackened Death Metal titans GRAVE MIASMA return with their second full length opus of ritualistic violence. Out via Dark Descent Records and Sepulchral Voice Records On May 14th.

Harkening back to the early days of Death Metal there was always a few worthy chosen ones whom spoke of a more occult, mystical and obscure pathway. From juggernauts like Morbid Angel to cult acts like Necrovore and Shub Niggurath, there has always been a darker side to Death Metal than slashers and gore. In recent years the likes of Dead Congregation, Teitanblood and of course Grave Miasma have kept this blackened flame burning. Now while they may not need introducing to many, I feel this context sets the review off with more clarity for those whom are yet to discover this band, so without further ado, let us unravel the “Abyss Of Wrathful Deities”.

Cacophonous guitars contort into a visceral riff as pummelled drums quickly ensue, driving forth with an expansive yet catchy soundscape of macabre and deathly reverberations. Consecrated invocations are howled atop the malicious instrumentals with a cavernous yet razor-sharp mix, showcasing a need to dwell in the murk yet also sounding magnificent with ethereal clarity. There is no over-polishing of this material but alas there is not just a gross production for the sake of it either. The warm and cutting bass guitars (handled by T whom is also doing lead guitar following the departure of R, is thick and intoxicating while the blistering twin-guitar assault between T and Y is unfathomably impressive with such cascades of marvellous and innovative playing to be punctuated by the usual consistent, tight and multi-faceted drumming of D. All of these folks aforementioned have a plethora of wonderful bands past and present to delve into, though I proclaim Grave Miasma to be my personal favourite alongside Cruciamentum. I digress, “Guardians Of Death” is a resplendent and welcoming yet fiendishly nuanced opening track while the more experimental and cerebral “Rogyapa” takes us from bellowing chasm-opening rhythms and tasteful soloing into psychedelic territories with a huge eastern influence, aided by Y’s use of sitar and other exotic instrumentation. Concluding side A, the monolithic opus may only be beginning but has its untamed claws firmly ensnaring the brain.

“Ancestral Waters” (perhaps taking its name from the documentary of the same title about Puyallup tribes) flows upon us without a halt, pouring rather than trickling, with a chunky set of riffs and soulful lead work atop some maniacal drum work. The more doomy nature of this is coupled with a bestial and ravenous appetite for desecration that is truly barbaric and yet executed with unbound talents and passion. Morbid and sparse, this appears to be a more attention-demanding angle wherein below the Death Metal’s skin we must seek what lies within the ritualistic savagery, lurking behind what the brainless see as mere sound, is something far more sinister and yet beautiful that only a few may comprehend, thought it shall come as no surprise to those who really “get” Grave Miasma. Bombastically charging from this to “Erudite Decomposition” shows gloriously how one can retain the Heavy Metal spirit of headbanger-friendly assaults while opting for such a charnel, expansive sound. Clearly no compromises have been made in the 5 years since the monolith that was “Endless Pilgrimage”. Well this track sees a more dissonant and spectral approach that allows the imagination to transport itself to a realm of otherworldly horrors yet feels rooted in perhaps earthly yet long dormant (or should I say obscure) spiritualities. Thus far, we are halfway in and I must profess that it is impossible not to succumb to the mighty stoicism of this record.

Side C opens with the more eerie and sombre “Under The Megalith” which creeps and crawls below the skin in a most daunting fashion. This hammering piece soon delves forth into a stunning blend of rather doomy passages that juxtapose a war-like artillery of total ferocity, perhaps the most conflicted song on the album, which I do not mean negatively at all. Rather it seems to find no peace with itself and the zeal for clarity assists these opposing factions to dance together in resplendent majesty, opening a chasm of introspection and ethereality before breaking down into a beastly, snarling crawl back into the abyss. “Demons Of The Sand” is a very interesting title, perhaps alluding to the bands affinity with certain Hindu deities such as Shiva or Kali (though this may just be conjecture on my part) that has been alluded to over the bands career. This piece is again a more melancholy yet no less anguishing one, completing this side, though I refer in terms of a record, not isolating them from the rest of the album. Seeing such dynamic use of slower sections break into bludgeoning, abyssal and somehow formless assaults of the senses is testimony to the masterful songwriting of these stalwarts and their unfaltering “bigger picture” approach to crafting an album as opposed to a meagre string of songs. Additionally the respectability and credibility of their expansive contents feels utterly genuine and not like some pretentious topical trend-following.

Alas we arrive to the last leg of this scathing journey, one that begins with a short and effective interlude of purposeful and trance-inducing acoustic instrumentation that offers a simplistic and chilling moment of respite from the Extreme Metal malignancy before the final two tracks storm forth from another realm. Showing no desire to back down, “Exhumation Rites” launches into a venomous and inhuman drum performance that underlines some utterly mental riffs, warping atop these percussive hits with grace and an ability to dance upon the fretboard and conjure apparitions like nothing heard before from the band, for they do not take the easy road of a repetitive, self-confined style surrounded by ego and unwillingness to evolve. This piece may feel like a more traditionally brutal Death Metal one, but it is hardly a generic or lacking number, so cast away any ideas that there will be a tepid piece on this album. Finally “Kingdoms Beyond Kailash” is our closing piece to a perhaps interminable recording, one I believe impossible to hear once and leave behind. Straying not from the malicious and salivating rabidity that its predecessor showcased, this closing opus rises and falls with a swelling, ghastly and misshapen approach across the board. From the twisted guitars to the volatility of the drums and the almost narrative vocals, this track offers not finality, but a reasonable and unhinged conclusion that leads us back to the start in Ouroboros-like fashion. This album does not fade out, it does not perish, it merely finds its end and rebirth in this particular piece.

Everything about this release fits to make a superb, transcendental and cerebral opus. Both the sonic upheaval of the mind and the lucid visuals that go with it seem to perfectly coalesce into something unwieldy and majestic. Once-more Grave Miasma are taking the lead of obscure and mighty Extreme Metal that is not to bypass anyone with a serious interest in spiritually enlightening Black/Death Metal of epic proportions. I would also like to note, I will not be returning to a track-by-track approach to reviewing, this is just an album with far too many elements to generalise or keep as concise as I perhaps should. A meditative and incorporeal listen of vigorous Death Metal grandiosity.