Humankind has done its fair share of damage to this planet, and there are a whole ton of people who don’t even think that’s true. They’re lied to by people with financial interest to continue ravaging the earth, and they don’t give a fuck about the people they duped, and that’s only a portion of the problem. Humans are greedy animals, and there’s very little chance that even can be changed.
That is unless we’re cheering on the extermination of life so that the earth can heal and other species and lifeforms can thrive without us poisoning the waters. Uh, literally. “Alienation Manifesto,” the new record from Thanatotherion, turns the torch on humanity, burning off this plague and paving the way for a different future. The band is the brainchild of Shelby Lermo (Vastum, Ulthar), known here as Ominous Droning, and this project grew out of its previous form as Naughtskeid. He wrote this record while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for throat cancer in the fall of 2022, which ultimately was successful, allowing him to make this beast. The vitriolic nature in this dose of death and black metal is perfectly logical and unspeakably horrific, and having battled a potentially fatal disease only to watch people fall deeper into their own bullshit had to take its toll. Lermo is joined by drummer Jason Bursese (Black Fucking Cancer) on this record that burns the world to the ground only to pave the way for a healthier future without us.
“Red Cathedral” ignites, tricky playing and ravenous howls combining, guitars going off and creating a bloody hell. Smoke chokes as crazed and fiery playing takes hold, speed and scorching madness pushing, ripping to a finish. “The Raven and the Box of Stars” is eerie when is starts, steam pouring off each edge, demonic and crushing playing twisting your brain. Growls and shrieks unite to muddy the waters, a blazing assault taking off and ripping toward you, bludgeoning as synth glazes. A fantastical burst leads to a stab of brutality, devastating with a healthy mix of black and death metal. “Orb” is a strange interlude, a thickening aura built with dripping pianos and echoing noise, slipping out into the path of “Wilczyca.” The track drubs from the start, the vocals creaking as sounds flood, guttural and monstrous growls doing added damage. The leads ignite as horrifying strains get uglier, synth layers adding dramatic gasps, the playing mangling as horrors draw blood, heating up and disappearing into a vortex.
“Nuclear Womb” starts with whispers that quickly turn into shrieks, a gnarly path pounding away, a sudden force mixing with spindly guitars that make the room spin. Synth strikes as the blistering pace gets more intense, raspy howls melting in with tangling guitars that push to a ripping finish. “Lament” is a short instrumental built on a synth rope, zapping and buzzing, making the cosmos lower itself into our terrain, a strange aura and sci-fi-style keyboard fever dream increasing bodily temperatures. Closer “Codex Crepusculum” runs 11:52 and dawns amid doomy, alien waters, blasting as the howls pummel, the playing ravaging as the leads conjure magical smoke. Synth takes over and soars, and then the playing erupts with violence, the melodies soaring into the stars, the chaos then erupting from every seam. Poisonous clouds hover, and then the madness unloads, blistering and bruising flesh, vicious tendrils reaching into a mangling future.
As we watch the human experiment decay and devolve further into foolishness and avarice, it’s hard to feel sympathy, which Thanatotherion make abundantly clear on “Alienation Manifesto.” This is hell on earth, and the fact that Ominous Droning was suffering as his body was ravaged with disease is enough to make one’s disgust for humankind even more understandable. Surviving to remain in a world rife with selfishness and madness results in music this twisted and warped, a journey that will put you to the test physically and mentally.
To buy the album (U.S.), go here: https://metalodyssey.8merch.us/
Or here (Europe): https://metalodyssey.8merch.com/
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/i.voidhanger.records/
Meat Mead Metal 