Time is nigh for music that is dreary and depressing as daylight slowly is drained from our days, and the onset of colder temperatures and seasonal disorders begin to manifest themselves. There’s nothing wrong with embracing those darker elements, because ignoring their existence is a work of fiction, so by all means, wallow in the pain.
Helping you along the way is Aphonic Threnody and their strong new record “The Great Hatred,” a title that should clue you in that storms and trouble are coming. Over six monster tracks and about 57 minutes, the band delivers sordid doom, gothic tendencies, and even some death harshness to bring you along the anguished passages laid out before you. The band—vocalist/bassist/guitarist/keyboard player Juan Escobar C and guitarist Riccardo Veronese—takes you on a journey through your mind, your suffering, and whatever frustrations have mounted so you can face them, identify them, and relate to their messages. We’re living in as dark of times as we’ve had in a long time, so let this wash over you and fill up your wounds with salty streams.
“Locura” starts lurching as C’s vocals spread, and the track gets sludgy and edgy. Keys swell as the singing turns clean, as a gothy feel makes the room rather chilly. The playing keeps pounding away as chills fill your bones, and the guitar work floods the scene, working toward melancholic darkness. Drama and sorrow build a thick skin as the track ends rather abruptly. “Interrogation” has cold guitars lowering the temperature even more as the playing gushes, and growls explode. The sorrow spreads on the lead guitar’s wings as they stretch and bring shadowy darkness while the playing starts to mash digits. Heaviness strikes as C’s fierce vocals penetrate, grit builds, and the bruising really sets in. The bass coils, the drums rumble, and funeral bells bring the song to an end. “The Great Hatred” has gruff singing and forceful growls melding together as the pace absolutely crushes. Leads light up and drag over the top while the track unleashes meaty playing that leaves blood behind. The guitar chugs into a dreamy, atmospheric section before the soloing heats up and melts away ice, and then strangeness thickens and casts a morbid, long shadow.
“Drowning” runs 10:36 and immediately sinks you into deep sorrow and heavy crunching as the bass slinks, and misery is close behind. Keys drip as the music keeps stretching out, with growls being soaked by the heavy, cold rains. The gravity continues to increase as pain and punishment unite, synth bleeds, and the track bleeds way. “The Rise of the Phoenix” is a mammoth at 11:38 and opens with foreboding keys and bass driving through the night. Growls rupture and are met by mysterious speaking, while the bass solidifies, and cleaner singing sounds purposely detached. The leads open and surge while the track chugs as C admits, “There’s nothing I can do.” Sadness prevails as the playing wrenches guts, and the final moments trickle out into time. “The Fall” is the closer that brings guitars lighting fires, and the tempo flowing like a slow burn. Piano notes drip as C’s roars crash down, bringing with it heavy and dirty sentiments. The grief collects in your chest as the synth sweeps, and the guitars trigger sparks. The playing soars into the stratosphere, wrenching and bringing with it insane emotions while sounds build, and the track disintegrates into the air.
“The Great Hatred” definitely won’t assist you if you’re in a heavy darkness yourself, that is if you want to find some positivity or hope. But what Aphonic Threnody do so well is give you music than can be a partner while you wallow and try to heal, writhing in the juices of your own pain. This is a dramatic, pummeling record that can only serve to help callous your fragile psyche.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/aphonic.threnody.5
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.com/
Or here (international): https://transcendingobscurity.aisamerch.de/shop-en
For more on the label, go here: https://tometal.com/
Meat Mead Metal 