One would think any amalgamation of death and black metal should sound mentally unstable and absolutely savage. The beastly ambiance and complete disregard for one’s safety should be at the forefront, and anything polished and shiny should be tossed to the trash.
One dip into Our Place of Worship Is Silence’s new record “With Inexorable Suffering” will have you reeling in pain. It’s a pit of torment and punishment that, for some weird reason, you’ll feel like you rightfully deserve. So often, I get records that claim the death metal or black metal label, and don’t get me wrong, many are very good. Not often do I hear one that feels like I’m being chewed alive by a goddamn demon, but “With Inexorable Suffering” is one of them, and it feels like that every time I visit. The band—drummer/vocalist Tim, guitarist/bassist/vocalist Eric (and no, your Tim and Eric jokes aren’t funny)—bring unexplainable darkness on this album. These songs are urgent and in immeasurable danger, and each drop of this second album from this devastating duo feels like a punch in the gut, hammer to the temple. I want more death and black metal to feel this way. I laugh when people defend the assholes of the genre for making OK music with shock-tactic actions. Make me feel this in danger, and I’ll be willing to listen. This is scary.
“Artificial Purgatory” starts this black mass with riffs swirling, the track trudging violently, and gurgled yelling capping the ungodly transmission and pushing into “Chronicles of Annihilation.” There, the blunt assault gets under way right away, with maddening vocals that sound like they’re delivered from the mouth of hell. In fact, the vocals are the scariest part of this entire record. The track hits muck and insanity, as bestial growls erupt, and everything fades following a last bludgeoning. “The Blind Chimera and Its Death” splatters bodies, as the growls sicken, dense riffs bring on dizzying chaos, and an utterly terrifying display is laid out before you. The vocals turn demonic down the home stretch, while some melody manages to make singular bloody tributaries in thick pools of mud. “Labyrinth Disorientation” punches open and trucks toward you with plasma-soaked wheels. Deranged howls strike, while the soloing screams out and sends shivers. Mangled and crazed guitars rearrange your mental structure, while the back end feels like you’re watching someone get their guts ripped out alive.
“Defiance and Upheaval” lives up to its name, as a mucky assault breaks out, followed by guitars tearing your world apart, a nightmarish ambiance, and a murderous pace. Ferocious growls mix with animalistic shrieks, and all that barrels into “The Decay Maxim” that’s packed with devastation. Manic shrieks and twisted danger crash land into a mud pit, while gritty riffs and unhinged horrors drag the track to its gory finish. Closer “Lawlessness Will Abound” has guitars bending and a serious dose of weirdness as it begins. Your mind is driven to its limit, while the band pounds away with more and more layers of filth. A huge burst comes out of that (it startled me, as I wasn’t expecting it), with the playing confounding, crazed yells teaming with rabid growls, and the song slowly bleeding its last.
Our Place of Worship have crafted a record that doesn’t feel good, won’t elevate your useless testosterone, and won’t cradle your feelings. “With Inexorable Suffering” is a record that blasts your mind and soul and leaves you bleeding furiously. This is the danger and fire you’re supposed to feel dining on death and black metal. This is delivered in full-blazing panic and devastation.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/ourplaceofworshipissilence/
To buy the album, go here: http://translationlossrecords.bigcartel.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/TranslationLossRecords/
Meat Mead Metal 