Tag Archives: Ophis

War Iron – Precession of the Equinoxes

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From highly-rated Belfast quartet War Iron comes a morose, ponderous noise infected by the pure evil of Andrew ‘Baggy’ Bagwell‘s nefarious, slurring rasp. Dual leads pluck the heartstrings at intervals through the crushing riff and crawling, titanic rhythms of ‘Bludgeon Lord’, the opening track of third album Precession of the Equinoxes (Independent). A warm, crackling production heightens the sinister feel and prevents the quickening bridges from exploding into a full-on Death assault; instead applying the reins enough to make one marvel at how such a precariously-balanced pace is kept.

The desolate peal of ‘Summon Demon Scream the Abyss’ is initially accompanied by a penitent chorus before that terrible lascivity seeps over the body; a funeral groove, twisting with the slowing power and weight of a dying anaconda. Baggy’s repetitive early vocal has the sneering perversity of ex-Lord Mantis‘ screamer Charlie Fell, the track fizzing and swelling with all manner of sadistic sorrow. The introductory bass notes of the title track cause concussion, some unsettling low growls whispering around the floor before the most fetid scream tightens the sphincter: whilst colossal, almost Blackened riffs make the tension nigh-on unbearable. Oddly-pulsing leads at the mid-section combine with bone-crunching rhythmic gymnastics and brutal chops to the coda, all the while staying close to the Doom template. Closer ‘From Napalm Altar’ sees a return to that funereal hostility: the intermittent quiet moments filled with eerie language, setting the teeth on edge for the forthcoming bludgeon; every chord, note and single beat flung from Thor’s Hammer; the accompanying roars and rasps the embodiment of despair and terror.

Finally, the UK has a contender in the Blackened Doom market. Although the winding noise of an Indian or Coffinworm is absent, it’s replaced by an Ophis-style mournful tolling which adds to the ominous feel rather than detracting attention from it. The resonant, single-kick sequence closing this fine, startling album chills the spine, and leaves the feeling that nothing good will ever happen again. To Serpentine Path: if you want to scare the shit out of people at a snail’s pace, this is how you do it.

 

8.5/10

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PAUL QUINN


Ophis – Abhorrence in Opulence

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If there’s one band that’s been criminally starved of attention, it’s German hostile miserabilists Ophis. I felt Effigies of Desolation, last year’s compilation reissue of the outfit’s first EP and album, would boost their profile and hopefully Abhorrence in Opulence (both Cyclone Empire), their latest supreme slab of deathly, funereal doom, will send that reputation soaring.

The early entrée of Asian chants cedes to the potentous thud of Nils Groth‘s cavernous drums and, when the tolling riffs are dropped in like manhole covers from the sky, the languorous yet ominous tone is set. Philip Kruppa‘s initial roar is a vile, scouring monster with the depth of the Marianas trench, whilst the sorrowful lead work at the two-third point of epic opener ‘Disquisition of the Burning’ hauls a warm yet desolate cocoon of misery to the close, curtailing a savage anger which never quite explodes into breakneck speed. It’s a crawling behemoth which embodies the Ophis sound perfectly.

The brooding ‘Among the Falling Stones’ tantalisingly swells and ebbs, some powerfully resonant and dictatorial stickwork joined by pulverising bass and riff sections; the whole magisterial in its funeral march section when a sparing lead builds into an affecting post-Black crescendo, eased to its demise by a heart-rending violin. The eerie ‘A Waltz Perverse’, though retaining the crushing force, possesses a slight technical air and strange rhythms reflecting the title, while the slithering hostility of ‘Somnolent Despondency’ is by turns oppressive then violent in its power.

A masterpiece of darkness and misery, the track’s middle section is brutally onerous, the drums creating a pounding intensity while desolate, delicately-picked leads and a howling solo send shivers down the spine, only increased by the single bark and seabed-deep scours undercutting them. Thunderous double kicks drive the mournful, murderous closer ‘Resurrectum’ to its wonderfully depressing end complete with resigned, despairing roars and intonations, through to an explosive and blasphemous finale.

The despair and emotion positively bleeds from every pore of this colossal album, a stunning powerhouse from a band growing in capability and maturity. You’ll bathe in the luscious suffocation of its unbearable weight and power.

 

9.0/10

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PAUL QUINN

 

 


Vainaja – Kadotetut

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I do like it when band members have names referring to professions… Finnish trio Vainaja are comprised of The Gravedigger, The Cantor and The Preacherman, pseudonyms apparently derived from a notorious Finnish cult of the 19th century, though whether this is truth or myth is unclear. Delivering all lyrics in their native tongue, there are few decipherable clues from the content of Kadotetut(Svart), the outfit’s debut album.

A lovely, lilting acoustic intro, accompanied by choral and orchestral risings, really sets the opening scene for a bloody heavy blend of Death and Doom metal. The ensuing ‘Väärän Ristin Valtakunta’ possesses the funereal style of Ophis, a granite-crumbling growl and crunching, slithering riffs crawling through the murk, keys only occasionally lighting the way to a death canter. Gravedigger‘s drums pound and echo magnificently, aided by a swerving crunch of a riff on the staggering ‘Kahleiden Kantaja’, the swelling keys adding to the drama.

The eerie ‘Verinen Lähde’ is a mix of crashing, leaden noise interspersed with the hushed breaks of a lost, frightened soul searching for a way out of haunted catacombs, all brought home by the ever more impressive and dictatorial drums. There’s a similar template to the ensuing ‘Risti Kädessäni’, the lead howls almost plaintive, the scything roar scouring the soul and the ominous closing chant almost pure black and offset by hammering riffs. Displaying the invention there’s a quiet, almost nonexistent start to ‘Vimeinen Tuomio’ with delicate cymbals opening a path to b-horror movie chords and keys so effective that when the titanic riff hits in you’ll wet yourself. The ensuing terror is a curious, unsettling yet magnetic experience.

 

Much like the band themselves, this is arcane and mesmeric, if occasionally meandering. You’re sometimes on the point of wondering where it’s all headed until a blast of raw power or unbridled emotion grasps you by the lapels. Closer ‘Kadotettu’ is such an entity, a tolling bell occasionally woken, directed by a growing, growling riff, sparing drumbeats and harmonised choruses, intermittently flecked with a heart-breaking lead.

Occasionally bewildering but always strikingly impressive, Kadotetut will keep hauling you back for more without knowing exactly why…

8 / 10

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PAUL QUINN