UNEARTHLY TRANCE (In The Red) LP/CD
NYC's occult fanatics are back with their second album, and I can report that they are absolutely "in the red". Not only soundwise, but also emotional although emotionally disturbed is maybe more appropriate for this scary vibes. But no matter, what kind of katharsis the band had gone through in the studio here we have another great example for extreme well-crafted bizarre heaviness. The sound totally encircles the listener and is physically a presence. Their genre-splicing music, combined with chorus-free song structures is still undeniable heavy. The band has transcended the musical boundaries of genres like doom, black metal and sludge with stunning releases such as "Hadit" and the appropriately titled full-length debut "Seasons Of Séance, Science Of Silence". "In The Red" steps out even further, produced by Sanford Parker the seven-track album features profoundly massive monolithic riffs layered with occult and bizarre atmospherics and Rion Lipynsky's anguished vocals.
An album that you can bang your head and/or meditate to, "In The Red" is a little like early Grief crossed with the dark psychedelia of Neurosis and the cold drones of Khanate. The last cut "Deathothic" turns into an atmospheric creepy and hypnotic maelstrom, which seems to come out of a Lovecraft story, while "It's the Never and Forever" is the fastest cut here; very Discharge-like with a pounding beat and its crusty edge, and again the band turns the song into a slow crushing riff-monster that reminds me again to early Grief. Once again, they have included a few samples of Aleister Crowley, and here it works perfect, instead of being just a lame gimmick. UNEARTHLY TRANCE are definitely a band, where not a lot of people take pleasure in, but if you have a great fondness for extreme music or you dig the previous album then I give you the advice to check out "In The Red". Great stuff!
(KK)