We all see unspeakable horrors every day of the week, and that’s just what people and leaders do to one another for power. It’s perverse to think of it this way, but maybe what we all need is a good, strong dose of cosmic horrors to take our mind off the other terrors we have to see all the time. Fantasy monsters can be soothing after all.
Chicago-based sludge/doom instrumental trio Plague of Carcosa long have found inspiration in Cthulhu and other Lovecraftian lore, and to do that with mostly no vocals is a tall order for a lesser band. Yet, they capture the essence in drubbing fashion, and on their second full-length “In the Dreamless Deep,” the band—guitarists A. Scott Grant, guitarist/bassist Eric Zann, drummer Alexander Adams—drops a planet’s worth of weight into these six songs that maul over 44 minutes. It lures you into the center of madness, stretches you to your limit, and leaves bruising over your psyche. It’s a fucking beast.
“Intangible Monument” hammers open, feedback swelling, the stomping rhythm meeting up with punishing riffs that chug and blister. Sooty, nasty sludge oozes out of crevices, guitars burn, and the bass plots destruction, sounds squeezing before disappearing. “Over Innsmouth” is melodic and mournful when it dawns, then it turns quickly to skull bashing, the leads glimmering amid a pit of destruction. An emotional swell makes nerve endings quiver as the playing absolutely cooks, bringing with it psychedelic heat and sounds frying your brain wiring. A lumbering force makes the earth quake as melodies swell, and cosmic zaps disappear into the clouds. “Sepulchre of the Dead Gods” flows gently before the power lurches, turning into a full doom fury, the filth caking your veins. The low end gets grittier and more muscular, the drums leave bruising, and everything burns in acid.
“Twilight, Respite” is a quick instrumental with bubbling energy, gently flowing as guitars simmer, and static eats away at the edges. “Awakened Sentinel” is the longest track, running 15:01 and working instantly into psyche guitars and a lathering dose of sludge that you can chew. Guitars build as everything takes on a feel like you’re underwater, ears full of liquid, the pace picking up as you battle disorientation. Calmer waves lap as the bones churns, the playing glimmering like sun splash over the sea. Then the pace bends minds, a deep hypnosis takes hold, and a long stretch of mesmerizing power pulls you under. Closer “The Elder Things” has guitars zapping and sounds blending, mammoth mauling completely crushing your equilibrium. Caveman-style hulking sends even more raw energy down your spine as the pace bludgeons, an incredible riff arrives and spikes your senses, and the final moments are utter demolition, burying power in a watery grave.
“In the Dreamless Deep” is more gut-wrenching, imaginative doom from Plague of Carcosa, a band that’s committed itself to the Cthulhu legend and making those tales feel larger and even more horrific. This is a hefty serving of menace and might, a record in which it’s easy to get lost, especially if you’re caught in your own beast-infested imagination. This is a massive offering, one that’ll fill you to the top with horrors, magic, and murk.
For more on the band, go here: https://plagueofcarcosa.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://plagueofcarcosa.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-dreamless-deep
For more on the label, go here: https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/
Meat Mead Metal 