Who knows what lurks in the deepest regions of the ocean? There are sections where no one has or can investigate and potentially there are lifeforms no being ever has encountered before and maybe never will. It makes that more terrifying but also adds a level of intrigue to know we share an earth with things we’ll never understand.
Lhaäd is a band helmed by sole creator Lykormas, and the project’s name is an anagram of hadal, the hadopelagic zone that is the deepest region of the ocean. On their second record “Beneath,” the majesties of what lurks so far beneath the surface creeps even deeper into their murky black metal, flooding you with mystery and emotion. At the same time, these six songs that spread over 40 minutes also bask in the cosmos, a place as dark and mysterious as the ocean floor where most of us never will go.
“Beneath I” opens with waters bubbling, slowly dawning before the cavernous howls strike. The playing then explodes and gets spacious, spacey wooshes rocketing through the atmosphere, the growls carving your senses. Black metal-style melodies well, speed tears through, and the track comes to a storming close. “Beneath II” rushes through space, acidic wails punishing, the pace scarring and leaving bruising on your lungs. Guitars cut through as the inventive curves thrill, the playing getting even more penetrating, sending shockwaves through your nervous system, waves crashing and nature crawling into “Beneath III” that’s serene before stomping. Strange noises zap as the roars wrench, and relentless chaos crashing down, the guitars immersing you in the deep vastness of the waves. The mood turns wondrous and oceanic, the howls burst in your chest, and an immersive synth cloud envelopes everything and ushers in total darkness.
“Beneath IV” super charges right away, fantastical playing creating a dream state, drilling through bizarre warbling that eats into your brain. Wrenching melodies and hypnotic pressure meet up with beastly growls, the guitars eventually disappearing into a sound bath. “Beneath V” brings thundering riffs, a disorienting pace, and howls piercing the serenity. Speaking creeps and scrapes, eventually combusting and sending intergalactic shrapnel flying, hammering with precision. The growls destroy as the pace hits a fever pitch, bringing everything to a breath-taking ending. Closer “Beneath VI” has guitars awakening and strangeness hovering overhead, unsettling noises sweltering as the vocals rumble and retch. The leads glaze as the lower end trudges, roars pelting as storming power takes control. Chanted howls encircle as everything fades, the bones slipping into the deepest part of a hungry ocean.
In a strange way, Lhaäd make the vast ocean more expansive and terrifying at the same time on “Beneath.” It’s a sonic world in which it’s easy to get lost, the playing and the mysteries creating a sort of mini universe found in the darkest, most unreachable regions of the seas. We may never know what lurks there, but taking on this band’s music helps charge your imagination and adds an extra level to this riveting album.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/thenoxentity
To buy the album, go here: https://shop.amor-fati-productions.de/en/
Or here: https://www.facebook.com/extraconsciousrecords
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/amorfatiprod
And here: https://entropicrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/beneath
Meat Mead Metal 