REVIEW: Schammasch - “The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite” (EP)

By: Conor O’Dea

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 09/06/2017

Label: Prosthetic Records

Schammasch have created something remarkable with this most recent artistic expression, sophisticated, complex and yet somehow, eminently accessible.  Get lost. It is worth your time to find a way out.

“The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1). “Prologue”
2). “The Weighty Burden Of An Eternal Secret”
3). “Along The Road That Leads To Bedlam”
4). “These Tresses Are Sacred”
5). “May His Illusion Last Until Dawn’s Awakening”
6). “Chimerical Hope”
7). “Do Not Open Your Eyes”

The Review:

"May it please heaven that the reader, emboldened and having for the time being become as fierce as what he is reading, should, without being led astray, find his rugged and treacherous way across the desolate swamps of these sombre and poison-filled pages; for, unless he brings to his reading a rigorous logic and a tautness of mind equal at least to his wariness, the deadly emanations of this book will dissolve his soul as water does sugar. It is not right that everyone should savour this bitter fruit with impunity. Consequently, shrinking soul, turn on your heels and go back before penetrating further into such uncharted, perilous wastelands." Comte de Lautréamont, “Les Chants de Maldoror”

There can be only deep silence after the invocation of the triune. It is time to pause. An initiate, waiting, in the shadows, barely breathes, as the adept brings one deeply important ritual to a close. You know where you were left, but are unclear where the way could possibly open again. Ab initio, ab vacuo, a ritual begins, revitalized, innovative, and redacted: but only in the paths it wanders, not in the powers it invokes. Thunder, perfect mind.

Schammasch have created something remarkable with this most recent artistic expression, something that draws deeply and effectively on both the painterly and writerly roots of its inspiration. It is sophisticated, complex and yet it, somehow, it is eminently accessible. It is a sort of roman-de-clef, but it does not seek to intimidate, browbeat or baffle the listener with fabricated dissonance or obfuscatory elitism. It invites the listener to enter its mysteries and get profoundly lost within them. Schammaschhere effectively create auditory and lyrical topographies that bend the common conventions of compositional and narrative structure in surreal ways. I am using surreal here in the sense of Magritte and Dali, both of whom illustrated Lautreamont's “The Lay of Maldoror”; it is a bending of reality, a reconfiguration of the real through symbolic interpolation. The six songs following the prologue mirror the Canto division of Lautreamont'spoetic novel, a glimpse into the fin-de-siecle madness that performed this superlative Dada-like twist on both the” Divine Comedy” and “Paradise Lost”.

“May His Illusion Last until Dawn's Awakening” and “Chimerical Hope”are perhaps the most immediately 'moving' of these tracks, but as with all things Schammasch, this album should be taken as a whole: in contemplation, in mindful inebriety. Get lost. It is worth your time to find a way out.

"I am the silence that is incomprehensible and the idea whose remembrance is frequent.
I am the voice whose sound is manifold and the word whose appearance is multiple.
I am the utterance of my name"The Thunder, Perfect Mind

“The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite” is available here

FFO: Behemoth, Secrets of the Moon, Deathspell Omega, Triptykon

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Conclave - "Sins of the Elders"

By: Brandon Green

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 10/06/2016

Label: Patac Records |

Lost Apparitions

Overall, Conclave are a band you should absolutely pay attention to if you’re a fan of the stoner doom genre and love bands in the riff worship category. They bring a refreshed approach using melodic/harmonized guitars, reverb soaked leads, soaring yet aggressive vocals, and highly energized drumming. Conclave paced this release very well, and I frequently found myself having riffs stuck in my head long after listening

“Sins of the Elders” CD//CS//DD track  listing:

1). (Intro) Descend

2). Funeral Fyre

3). Black Lines

4). Cut it off

5). Mammut

6). Cold Comfort

7). Sins of the Elders

8). Kaltas (Outro)

The Review:

In a world where it seems stoner doom is king; Conclave pull off their best work to date with an anger-soaked massive riff machine. I was lucky enough to see Conclave live in Boston a few times, and they were overwhelming with their stage presence, masterful song crafting, and beastly amp setup. It’s rare that a band captures their live sound on a record, and Conclave have totally nailed with this. With each song clocking in around 7-9 minutes, this is a doom release begging to be cranked. The album invokes visions of punishment, despair, hopelessness as you wander through the tomb-like atmosphere this album creates.

“Sins of the Elders” starts off with “Descend” which sets the mood using rain samples, reverb/delay drenched clean guitars, and spoken word before tossing the listener into a dark well full of pummeling riffs. “Funeral Fyre” is loaded with powerful hits and soaring growled vocals, layered with massive sounding distortion/fuzz. Jerry’s vocals really shine on this release, giving a melodic feel to the angry shouting style seen in stoner doom. His vocals remind me of the style seen from Tom Fischer in Triptykon’s releases. It’s clear the band has a fantastic handle on the genre and introduces their own spin with more variation, catchy riffs, melodies, and killer guitar solos reminiscent of 90s era death metal.

The third track, “Black Lines,” hones in on the more stoner doom sound of the band and builds up with crushing riffs and amazing drumwork. Dan Blomquist is a fantastic drummer, and the highly creative drum riffs follow the guitar work and add an entirely new amazing layer to the song writing on this entire album. “Cut it Off” immediately reminded me of early Crowbar with the slow tempo drums and a darker more progressive approach to the Sabbath riff style. When the chorus comes into the first solo, this song quickly became one of the highlights of the album for me.

“Aethereum” stood out to me with the low spoken word vocals over the crushing doom riffs and syncopated drums. The reverb/delay drenched leads in this song make it sound particularly evil mixed with the spoken vocal style. The alternating solos on the song were a welcome addition, and showcase that Conclave are far more than your run-of-the-mill stoner doom band. I loved this vocal approach so much that I wish it was peppered into some of the other songs. “Cold Comfort” grabs the listener in anticipation with guitar feedback and overdrive bass/drums to build atmosphere before the band crushes the listener with what they do best.

The title track, “Sins of the Elders,” was my favorite of the entire release with a down-tuned melodic Iron Maiden inspired riff which invokes feelings similar to the killer album artwork. The guitar harmonies sound great and really showcase the chemistry of the band. The harsh backing vocals in this song and double bass bring a welcomed dynamic to the band’s sound. The final song, “Kaltas” brings a calming atmosphere similar to how the album started using a reverb-laced acoustic guitar and subtle cymbal hits. An excellent closer giving the listener the feeling they completed a journey back to familiar territory and conquered the welcomed horrors in the depths of “Sins of the Elders”.

Overall, Conclave are a band you should absolutely pay attention to if you’re a fan of the stoner doom genre and love bands in the riff worship category. They bring a refreshed approach using melodic/harmonized guitars, reverb soaked leads, soaring yet aggressive vocals, and highly energized drumming. Conclave paced this release very well, and I frequently found myself having riffs stuck in my head long after listening. For $10 on bandcamp, you get master-crafted doom with a full 6 panel digipak with amazing artwork completely reminiscent of how the record sounds. Throw on some headphones, and descend into the bleak punishing atmosphere of “Sins of the Elders.” I highly recommend it.

“Sins of the Elders” is available here

Band info: bandcamp

FFO: Tryptikon, Crowbar, Electric Wizard, Windhand, (early) The Sword