“Ævangelist does not intend to play death metal, black metal, or any other type of ‘music’ for your enjoyment. In fact, we hope that there are decidedly few discernible riffs, we hope this appeals to no superficial underground interests, and we hope to make no impression on any current musical trends, because in the scope of all we seek to convey, all of it is completely meaningless.”

This declaration graces the back of the album’s liner notes. Noise fans would probably find it inviting, but thankfully for us metalheads, it’s not entirely accurate. The music on display here is not quite the wall of noise that the band makes it out to be. Other bands in this vein, such as Mitochondrion and Portal, actually have them beat in this regard. That’s not to say Ævangelist wouldn’t sit nicely next to those acts, but there are some differences that set them apart.

A haunting dark ambient intro sets the stage with some disturbing sounds that conjure feelings of alien experimentation and torture. This ambience is then carried through as a constant undercurrent to the twisted, churning death metal that comprises the majority of the album. The effect is uniquely unsettling.

However, death metal is the focus here and it does a lot to hold your interest on its own through some bizarre riffing and tempos that constantly shift between pummeling blasts, menacing marches, and doom-like crawls. The vocals are a deep, unintelligible roar with occasional distant, pained shrieks. Printed lyrics would’ve been nice, but I suppose their absence adds to the album’s mystery.

There’s a lot going on in almost every track except for two that have more focused, distinctive approaches. “Hierophant Disposal Facility” is an instrumental with pulsing, mechanical drums and industrial elements reminiscent of early Godflesh. The closing track, “Crematorium Angelicum,” stands out even more from the rest of the album as the sole full-on death/doom song. Its pronounced ambience and creeping pace is very reminiscent of Evoken. In fact, this track would fit in perfectly on “Atra Mors.” It would be great to hear more material like this from these guys because, even though it’s a little out of place, it’s a powerful, well-written death/doom song.

So, despite the band’s intentions, they’ve created some unique but definable underground death metal, and hopefully they will continue to do so. They have the potential to become a new heavyweight in the arena of death metal’s extreme envelope pushers.

[Visit the band's website]

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