The universe is strange, and so is the metal inspired by the vast darkness, which only makes sense. I mean, we know what’s out there, but do we really? What if there is shit that we just can’t see? What if there is another self-destructive world on the other side of the universe? It gives you a lot of weird shit to think about.
Canadian metal wanderers Egregore dig into the more bizarre stretches of the cosmos, and on their second record “It Echoes in the Wild,” things push to expansive new territories both musically and thematically. Comprised of formers member of Auroch and Mitochondrion, the band—Shawn Haché aka Essentia Collapse (drums, vocals, acoustic guitars), Sebastian Montesi aka Catastrophe Saturna (lead guitars, acoustic guitars, vocals, synth), Phil Fiess aka Helios Thread (bass, vocals)—combines death and black metal in a way that sounds much different than other bands doing similar things. This is an album that sounds good on first listen but only expands its reach on subsequent visits.
“Cast Adrift” is a strange opener that happens to be an ideal scene-setter that has guitars dawning, synth pumping, and warbling moving into “Voice on the West Wind.” Riffs tear as beastly howls smother, charging through speed and insanity. Whispers swirl as manic wails corkscrew, and the leads soar through magickal fire and into “Stair Into the Vortex” that exudes brutality. The playing shifts as the shrieks tear away at the senses, the walls feeling like they’re coming down. The fury turns more urgent, mangling highs wrestling with wails echoing into the void. “Craven Acts of Desperate Men” is thrashy, shrieks and wails tangling, tricky playing twisting your brain, high-pitched singing feeling a bit like King Diamond. The leads go off, melodic soloing flooding over, the pace ravaging as the earth feels like it’s opening beneath you. “From the Yawning Crevasse Shrieks a Transmorphic Gale” explodes, the wails lashing, a delirious pace making your safety feel anything but secure. The vocals carve as the playing reverses track, thrashing through humid guitar playing and mystical keys that cool flesh.
“Corsairs of the Daath Gulf” opens the second half with strange vibes, voices warbling as sci-fi fantasy spreads its wings, glorious lava leads spilling into time. “Nightmare Cartographer” smears, death growls pummel, and the punishment crests and swims into spacey terrain. Clean calls stagger as the heat increases, shouts and growls do battle, and the pace smashes, flowing seamlessly into “Six Doors Guard the Original Knowledges” that feels techy and muscular. Leads drill as the playing mashes, screams melting, prodding into open-mouthed electricity. The guitars remind a lot of the main melody line to “Ride the Lightning,” and that mixes with anguished cries and jolts that jet into the distance. “Servants of the Second Death” grinds, the vocals spat like poison, relentless energy mixing with warm leads. The tempo wrenches, whispers sprawling through the air, fiery calls destroying before everything comes to a massive finish. The closing title track runs 9:54, blowing into eeriness, the song splitting open as the howls mangle, the aggressive push getting nicely zany. The drums smash before calm arrives, basslines washing over the stars, exploring far-off stretches. Leads flutter as group singing combusts, massive colors dashing by, everything endings in explosive power.
“It Echoes in the Wild” is a daring step ahead for Egregore, whose creativity and manic expression are equally brutal and dream-inducing. This blast of sci-fi-led death metal goes down a different path than a lot of like-minded bands have the past few years, making this one feel stranger and bloodier. This album is a neck-jerking turn into imaginative and cosmic expanse, proving this band has deeper levels of psychotic terror.
For more on the band, go here: https://egregore137.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/egregore
For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/
Meat Mead Metal 