Vasaeleth - Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin
[audio: VASAELETH_GATEWAYS.mp3]
[audio: VASAELETH_ADORNED.mp3]
Of the fruit of the poisonous tree that is Onward to Golgotha, Crypt Born & Tethered to Ruin (Profound Lore, 2010) is some of the tastiest. The requisite rites of Incantation are all present: cavern vocals in a clattering, lo-fi murk that attracts hi-fi vinyl fetishists. Darkness descends. Back patches will follow.
For all its good intentions, this stuff is often disposable. Murk’s most lasting impression is usually, “That was a good time”. So Vasaeleth sneak in other expressways to yr. skull: actual riffs, actual melodies, pick squeals that pop up in “Gateways to the Cemetery of Being” like booby traps. These alloys occur in small proportions. Murk still remains supreme. But the band rewards close listening. (Isn’t it nice when that happens?) Underneath all that leather and blackcloth are guys sweating out how riffs fit together.
The band also rewards close reading. (See lyrics here.) I’m not sure what “The messengers of demise torn from planes to beget finality” means, but it rolls nicely off the tongue. Is “orthodox death metal” a legitimate subgenre? Ofermod think so. Supplications to the Most High, which is the Most Low, from the Most Sophisticated wielding the Most Primitive: a good time, always.
Amazon (CD, MP3)
eMusic (MP3)
The End (CD)
Negative Existence (CD)
Hells Headbangers (CD)
Profound Lore Records (CD)
