The Chasm - Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm
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The Chasm have made superlative Metal of Death for almost two decades, yet they remain obscure. This isn’t for a lack of hard work. In this interview with Anthony Eastman at Metal Nightmare, guitarist/vocalist Daniel Corchado is down-to-earth and thorough. His answer to the last question: “If you don’t feel what you play, retire, motherfucker. And not only in music, in whatever it is you do.” It’s a forthright expression of The Chasm’s commitment to integrity.
Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm (Inframundi, 2009) doesn’t rehash The Chasm’s older work, but fans will know what to expect. The band’s sound is expansive enough to experiment widely without losing its identity. Like previous albums, Farseeing blends straight Death Metal with sweeping melodies and dual guitar leads. As is usual for The Chasm, the album is carefully composed, with none of the stop/start lurches that sometimes plague progressive death metal.
The lyrics explore the same dedication Corchado displays in the Metal Nightmare interview. They narrate a journey through death and the afterlife, which the band calls the infraworld, a term that evokes the internal individual as much as a subterranean landscape. Death is only a fiery rebirth, followed by a journey that outstrips life itself. You struggle onwards and do the best you can because that’s the only triumph or dignity there is. The album grows more majestic even as its journey grows more hopeless.
As complex as The Chasm’s music is, it isn’t convoluted. Farseeing is that rare album that is immediately appealing yet infinitely rewarding. You don’t pore over the booklet because you’re trying to figure out why you should like the music; you do it because you love the music and want to uncover its secrets.
