It was on a cold December day of 2003 that I bought the debut of Long Island's faves Unearthly Trance, after having already been mindblown by the Frost Walk With Me 7" and the amazing Beast Eye Open To The Sky LP by side project of singer/guitarist Ryan Lipinsky, Thralldom, and I remember listening to it non-stop during the Xmas holidays. While in later albums Unearthly Trance would adopt a crustier and tighter approach, with more elements by black metal and hardcore, in this one they are in a spiral of heavy-like-hippo-shit doom/sludge, with undertones of black metal and drone, doses of Celtic Frost goodness, and even ritual black ambient. Coupled with a lo-fi, but strong on the bass, production by Stephen O' Malley, this is one of the best doom/sludge albums of all time, and one that again arguably proves that Relapse can turn otherwise promising bands into more mediocre outfits when they manage to get their little corporate hands on them. The slow crushing riffs, the spacious production, and Lipinsky's desperate clean vocals, as well as his sinister rasps, proved an ideal showcase for one of this blog's dictums on your right hand, the one saying that good music is the music that makes you fall asleep, and this is what this album did many a time during cold and bleak wintry days. Highly recommended, up to par with Electric Wizard's Let Us Prey, Cathedral's Forest of Equilibrium, and Winter's Eternal Frost. 2003 cd on Rise Above Records.Download
Showing posts with label Unearthly Trance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Unearthly Trance. Show all posts
Thursday, December 20, 2018
Unearthly Trance – Season Of Seance, Science Of Silence cd
It was on a cold December day of 2003 that I bought the debut of Long Island's faves Unearthly Trance, after having already been mindblown by the Frost Walk With Me 7" and the amazing Beast Eye Open To The Sky LP by side project of singer/guitarist Ryan Lipinsky, Thralldom, and I remember listening to it non-stop during the Xmas holidays. While in later albums Unearthly Trance would adopt a crustier and tighter approach, with more elements by black metal and hardcore, in this one they are in a spiral of heavy-like-hippo-shit doom/sludge, with undertones of black metal and drone, doses of Celtic Frost goodness, and even ritual black ambient. Coupled with a lo-fi, but strong on the bass, production by Stephen O' Malley, this is one of the best doom/sludge albums of all time, and one that again arguably proves that Relapse can turn otherwise promising bands into more mediocre outfits when they manage to get their little corporate hands on them. The slow crushing riffs, the spacious production, and Lipinsky's desperate clean vocals, as well as his sinister rasps, proved an ideal showcase for one of this blog's dictums on your right hand, the one saying that good music is the music that makes you fall asleep, and this is what this album did many a time during cold and bleak wintry days. Highly recommended, up to par with Electric Wizard's Let Us Prey, Cathedral's Forest of Equilibrium, and Winter's Eternal Frost. 2003 cd on Rise Above Records.Download
Friday, December 29, 2017
Thralldom
Thralldom is a NYC-based black metal band with a lot of noise and ambient elements and occult thematology. What sets them apart from run-of-the-mill BM is their very noisy approach which has influences from Swans, Godflesh and paranoid riffs which avoid the typical Norwegian-style tremolo riffing. Responsible for this are Jaldagar on drums and Killusion (Ryan Lipynsky) on guitar and vocals, who is the frontman of dark sludge band Unearthly Trance, whose debut Season of Seance, Science of Silence is one of my all-time favorite doom/sludge albums. Below is part of their discography, minus their EPs and their reunion cd Time Will Bend Into Horror which I didn't really like.
2002 - A Murderous Magus Of The Morphogenetic Grid 7" (Regimental Records)
Lo-fi black/doom metal with cool Darkthrone/punk riffs.
Download
2003 - Beast Eye Opened To The Sky LP (Parasitic Records)
Demented, radioactive noisy evil with great off-kilter guitar work and vocals.
Download
2005 - The Seven Heads of The Lion Serpent 7" (Deathstrike Records)
Yo, isn't that Celtic Frost's heptagram? The Celtic Frost references doesn't stop there as the first track is a very groovy and danceable Celtic Frost-meets-Motorhead-meets Darkthrone anthem. The two other tracks are equally great.
Download
2005 - Black Sun Resistance LP (Profound Lore Records)
More occult metal awesomeness, with more 80's metal influences like Bathory, Hellhammer and Sarcofago, but with great atmospheric guitar work similar to Godflesh and motorik rhythms.
Download
2006 - A Shaman Steering The Vessel of Vastness cd (Profound Lore Records)
2002 - A Murderous Magus Of The Morphogenetic Grid 7" (Regimental Records)
Lo-fi black/doom metal with cool Darkthrone/punk riffs.
Download
2003 - Beast Eye Opened To The Sky LP (Parasitic Records)
Demented, radioactive noisy evil with great off-kilter guitar work and vocals.
Download
2005 - The Seven Heads of The Lion Serpent 7" (Deathstrike Records)
Yo, isn't that Celtic Frost's heptagram? The Celtic Frost references doesn't stop there as the first track is a very groovy and danceable Celtic Frost-meets-Motorhead-meets Darkthrone anthem. The two other tracks are equally great.
Download
2005 - Black Sun Resistance LP (Profound Lore Records)
More occult metal awesomeness, with more 80's metal influences like Bathory, Hellhammer and Sarcofago, but with great atmospheric guitar work similar to Godflesh and motorik rhythms.
Download
2006 - A Shaman Steering The Vessel of Vastness cd (Profound Lore Records)
The last Thralldom before their break-up was their most experimental but also their heavier. Thick death/black riffs mix with chaotic drums/guitar improvisations and battle with misanthropic noise and ambient moments of unnerving calm. Majestic. 2006 cd on Profound Lore Records.
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