Zaniness and weirdness in death metal is not new concept, but the amount of artists who can do this right is few. One such person is Gabriele Gramaglia, who you know from Cosmic Putrefaction and Vertebra Atlantis, whose alien creativity has been on full display before. Just not quite like it is on “In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night.”

This is the debut album from his new project Lugubrious Garment (it’s fun to say), a seven-track, 41-minute bruiser and challenger, stretching death metal across the spectrum of sound. It’s gritty and brutal, but it also has an exploratory quality that pushes you beyond your imagination. The first listen should just be to experience all the bizarre waves. Each one after that peels back the cosmic onion layers that keep warping your mind.

“…And Therein Plant, Unto Their Souls Asunder” tears open, howls scarring, plastering as the energy blasts against walls. The tempo twists brains, the guitars sprawl, and alien melodies cloud, synth gliding through light beams, charring into dust. “Eulogy of Deliberate Malevolence” wrecks as growls mar, monstrous ferocity spilling into black metal-style guitar work, screams strangling and making you go lightheaded. The strength multiplies as throaty wails punish, and then the soloing unloads, glistening and warping, obliterating the senses. “Profaned Fountain of Leaden Waters” blisters, the growls lurch, and strange singing bellows, agony spread as far as the eye can see. The pace blasts as the ferocity multiplies, the pace punches and then steams, and spacious leads explore the outer rim. The spaciness continues to bleed as detached speaking sends chills, and a sudden eruption unloads, storming with melodic lasers and icy keys.

“Innocence as a Burden, Guilt as a Weapon” combusts, the leads twist nerves, and the vocals assault, a blinding force stomping with madness. Riffs snarl and encircle as speaking stirs, the playing mesmerizes, and acoustics brush against metallic might. “Transient Wounds, Spiritual Wilt” darkens as the guitars dash, and vicious battery bursts, speed exploding as arteries thicken. Leads journey before sweeping over star fields, thrashing and zapping before blazing away. “Eternal Scars and Imperative Backfires” unloads with burly might, wild screams start fires, and a dizzying feel dominates and makes the room topple. The guitars blur eyes as thick bass tramples, leads simplify the torment, and strings add an aching finish. “Eden Fades Like Blurred Nightmares” closes, immediately opening fire, mashing as the growls leave welts, and a progressive vibe quakes the ground. Guitar and bass unite to smear brains, synth clouds, and a powerful solo section storms, the tempo charging anew, growls choking, and a mournful bell chiming.

“In the Wide Vale of Uncreated Night” is a properly challenging record we come to expect from Gramaglia, but it’s also a bit more straightforward from some of his other projects. Lugubrious Garment still manage to make heads cock to the side from time to time, and your mind will be stretched well beyond capacity. This is splintering death metal that feels informed by worlds beyond here and driven into the earth’s crust.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.instagram.com/lugubrious_garment

To buy the album, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/lugubriousgarment

For more on the label, go here: https://www.20buckspin.com/