Cold icewinds sweep my weightless body over the bridge to unknown lands. The fog was thick before me as I fell into the unknown realms. The darkness had fallen before me, as I saw my body fall into the ground. I am far away, I am far away from the sun… Beyond All Horizons features shorter reviews dedicated solely to black metal: a new release, an older album (a month, a year, a decade, or perhaps even longer), concluded with a hand-picked track of the week.
This week’s offerings look to the stars, with celestial black metal new and old. First up is a new instrumental release from Osmium Gate followed by some of the finest ’90s cheese with Bal-Sagoth, concluded with a favorite track of mine from long-defunct weirdos Transcending Bizarre?.
New & Trve: Osmium Gate – Cannibal Galaxy
Instru-metal tends to naturally fall within the umbrella of progressive and post-metal, so when I came across an instrumental act that is self-described “cosmic black metal” I had to check it out. Osmium Gate is comprised of Salt Lake City duo Drew Ehrgott (Reverence of the Martyr) on guitar/bass and drummer Rene Gomez (Yaotl Mictlan, Pan-Amerikan Native Front), and through little fault of their own — the performances and composition of debut Cannibal Galaxy are pretty solid — the project serves as a litmus test as to why you don’t really see instrumental black metal bands. I probably wouldn’t have ever thought about how vital it is, but now having Osmium Gate as a comparator I realize how something essential is lost with the absence of the human voice when it comes to black metal. Thankfully Cannibal Galaxy is far from just second-wave rehash sans vocals, and for some the additional elements thrown in will still make for an interesting enough listen.
Built on a backbone of black metal that tends towards the melodic and atmospheric side of things (I’m reminded of the similarly cosmic work of Germany’s Vorga) via extended tremolo-picked passages and incessant double bass, Osmium Gate’s riffing does fall back into the aforementioned natural tendencies of instrumental metal by incorporating some prog in the form of chuggy syncopation and sections of greater technicality in the form of Gojira-esque tapping (“Blood Rain”). These sections twinkle like stars amongst the dark vacuum of the black metal riffage, with further cosmic tendencies brought forth through the Ehrgott’s big, reverb-heavy guitar tone that evokes the more atmospheric (and Ziltoidian) days of Devin Townsend. Certainly not a bad release, but one that is not exciting or dynamic enough to make much a impact upon these ears.
Cannibal Galaxy will be self-released March 13 through Osmium Gate’s Bandcamp.
Old & Cold: Bal-Sagoth – The Power Cosmic
In your mind’s ear, imagine a combination of the most over the top symphonic black and power metal bands you can fathom… it’s still unlikely to reach the fantastical heights of underground English legends Bal-Sagoth. Cheesiness be damned, I legitimately think their music is awesome. Midi synths that sound right out of an early video game soundtrack, riffage that often feels more Euro power metal than anything on the blacker side of the metal world, and most distinctively the vocal stylings of frontman Byron Roberts: sometimes a harsh rasp, but mostly spoken word delivered with the grandiose cadence of an experienced dungeon master. So melodramatic, but so damn fun. Fourth full-length The Power Cosmic was a rejuvenation for the band as they became a fully-fledged five piece, as well as career-wise being their first release through Nuclear Blast. On a base level there’s a lot of similarities between Bal-Sagoth’s six full-lengths, but The Power Cosmic represented the band at their musical peak.
Trimming some of the bloat that characterized their longer albums (much needed when your core sound is so ridiculous) at only 40 minutes, there’s also a greater interplay between the brothers Chris and Jonny Maudling on guitars and keyboards. The riffs are more melodic with plenty of leads throughout, these often put at the forefront (with an absence of rhythm guitar) to further emphasize these isolated, celestial moments. Future Dragonforce drummer Dave Mackintosh also puts on a great performance with plenty of speedy d-beats to give the sound the extra oomph needed for propulsion into the cosmos. And tying it all together is Byron Roberts with his galaxy and dimension-spanning tales, and some of the greatest lines he ever uttered (“Such diabolical evil… sublime macrocosmic malevolence!” “Behold, the armies of war descend screaming from the heavens!” “I was ancient when your ancestors were naught but protoplasmic slime!“). One of the most outrageous bands I’ve ever listened to, and I’m so glad to have finally understood the allure of their supreme celestial cheese.
The Power Cosmic was originally available through Nuclear Blast. For more information on Bal-Sagoth, check out their official website.
Twilight Hour: Transcending Bizarre? – “Infinite”
Transcending Bizarre? was probably the first real underground band I got exposed to as a teenager, being turned onto them with this very track by the same musical mentor who introduced me to black metal via Enslaved, Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, and other “popular” bands. Following the death of founding member S.A. Akis in 2010 the band would be placed on indefinite hold, three members of this Greek collective going on to form the psychedelic black metal band Hail Spirit Noir. “Infinite” is the closing track from their 2008 album The Serpent’s Manifolds, a nine-minute epic that takes the listener on a journey through the more avant-garde side of symphonic black metal. Crushing riffs, a calmer electronic-beat section, and various audio samples that help to give a more eerie atmosphere. The sweeping orchestral motifs repeated throughout have been earworms of mine ever since the first listen, and the grand finale guitar solo caps off the track in perfect fashion. A must-listen track for those seeking black metal that tells a musical tale.
The Serpent’s Manifolds was originally available through Dissonart Productions. For more information on Transcending Bizarre?, check out their Encyclopedia Metallum page.
— Colin
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