Imagine, if you will, a warped reality where you recognize the landscape, but the colors just aren’t right. You’ve never seen a sky that color before, and even the people and animals with which you interact don’t seem like they’re from the same plane as you. Maybe it’s a dream. But perhaps it’s reality, and you have to figure out how to get a grip on this altogether bizarre page of existence.
Taking on “An Unhealthy Interest in Suffering,” the debut EP from black metal force Undulation, is that same type of experience. Yes, you’ve heard sounds like this before, and it should be something that’s somewhat familiar to those who indulge in heavier music. These six tracks weigh heavily on the psyche, delve into historical and occult horrors, and act like a beast that has mutated from the cells of others only to grow deadlier and more immersive. The band—vocalist the Executioner, guitarist Nelson Payne, bassist Seth Death, drummer Zach Purtell—released this strange beast in June, but I, Voidhanger is getting it out to a wider audience, which finds a perfect home on the label’s eclectic roster. This is a band that defies description, and once their sounds reach more ears, there’s bound to be a groundswell of interest and a fervor of enthusiasm for this unique machine.
“Amethyst Necropolis (Une Charogne)” bleeds in, the Executioner’s poetry bleeding through guitar steam, feeling haunting and unnerving, ending with, “Then, O my beauty! say to the worms who will
devour you with kisses, that I have kept the form and the divine essence of my decomposed love!” “Judith Beheading Holofernes” (named after the Artemisia Gentileschi painting) leaks in with eerie tones as the shrieks strangle, tornadic playing emerging from a maniacal storm front. “Flagellation, urinate on the body, stigmata still fresh,” the Executioner wails. Daring charges splatter, filling you with excitement and dread, destroying and combusting, turning guts inside out. “Undulator” brings guitars that well up quickly, shrieks curdling as the intensity spikes quickly. The playing hits a panicked turn, going for more speed and aggression, the growls retching as the room spins dangerously out of control.
“Failures of the Demiurge” starts clean and cold, the Executioner singing wordless calls, the guitars darkening as the psychological madness swells. “I am death riding a horse pale, skin brown like barren soil, glistens beneath angry stars,” the Executioner wails as wicked riffs trample, future hope being snuffed out forever. The howls get more frantic, guitars lather in pools of blood, and the tempo hits the gas pedal as everything ends bluntly. “Acid, Vinegar” is sinewy as morbid growls explode, tortuous playing weighing down on your chest and nearly causing blackout. The shrieks slash as the guitars follow suit, washing in psychological heat, the singing causing hypnosis. “I saw the shadow of an angel standing behind me, but when I turned to face him, he looked back in horror,” the Executioner stabs, thrashy fire scorching faces, simmering and fading in broken darkness. “Dressed for Her Execution” is the closer, beginning with strange clean calls, then scorching its way open and torching paths. The rage combusts as the soloing catches fire, shrieks and operatic calls mix, demonstrating the Executioner’s impressive range, and then fluid assaults tease madness. “Crucifix in hand, she calls his holy name, pleads for retribution, but he never came,” the Executioner howls, sticky blood pulling at your footsteps, the guitars slowly trickling, and an uncomfortable aura spilling into space.
“An Unhealthy Interest in Suffering” is a record that might not have its impact in the year of its birth, but it’s sure to reverberate through black and death metal circles in the years ahead. Undulation is a band that defies accurate explanation as you can describe the sounds, but to really comprehend the spirit requires you to take the stomach-churning trip with them. This is an EP, and a unit, that is starting something special, planting their own seeds in subgenres that are ripe for reimagination, with Undulation only too happy to warp its features beyond recognition.
For more on the band, go here: https://undulationdeath.bandcamp.com/album/an-unhealthy-interest-in-suffering
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/
Or here (international): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://i-voidhanger.com/
Meat Mead Metal 