XASTHUR „Defective Epitaph”

Music: Ambient Black Metal
Country: U.S.A.
Web site: http://xasthur.mercurous.net/


Cool Songs: Worship (the war against) Yourself, Funerals Drenched in Apathy, Purgatory Spiral

“Defective Epitaph” is not music for music’s sake. Xashtur’s one-man show, Malefic doesn’t create music that has a good beat that you can dance to or cheery hooks you can sing on the karaoke box at the local watering hole. Nor is it an album for social gatherings; it is easier to consume in seclusion. The word social and Xasthur together in a sentence is ironic. With song titles such as “Worship (the war against) Yourself” and “A Memorial to the Waste of Life,” Malefic seems angered he was ever associated with anything humane.

What Malefic did was make an album that profoundly affects the listener’s psyche. Every track whirls ethereally, stirring memories of physical and mental anguish. The experimentation of his instrumental repertoire distorts the function and form of each instrument. For instance, “Funerals Drenched in Apathy”, he places the drum machine deep into the mix, which results in the drums no longer sounding like drums, rather becoming a distant, unknown noise; the type of noise that ominously chills your blood. The drums on “Legacy of Human Irrelevance” instill more feelings of trepidation, and do it with added aggression. The constant primeval poundings implant a feeling of being chased.

“Defective Epitaph” contains many layers. Part of the layering comes from paradoxical tempos that create a warped movement. Various vibrato keyboard sounds take up the front, while the guitars, drums and wretched screams shuffle in position, depending on the song. “Purgatory Spiral” consists of repeating distortion-less guitar and drawn-out keyboard notes. These reverb-soaked keys produce a shimmering, bell like sound. The combination of echoing instruments and a low-fi production are like seeing the life fade in the last moments before death. “Soulless Elegy” features a freezing cold guitar that buzzes around the front of the mix, while the lowly placed vocals again create a sense of distance. The keys are difficult to make out until a couple minutes into the track. When they do come, they lend a freezing aura, like the unseen arrival of an evil spirit.

Since his debut full length, “Nocturnal Poisoning,” Malefic’s music has become even darker and more surreal. His production helps build layers of negative energy. This energy releases in wobbly, wavering movement due to colliding tempos. These factors could rightly earn Xasthur the tag, schizophrenic black metal. Twisted, spooky compositions such as those on “Defective Epitaph” are the type of tunes mental ward patient carry around in their head. Malefic has succeeded in making one of the most visually hateful black metal albums of today. Xasthur has truly mastered this form of dark art.

note: 9/10

Tracklist

. Souless Elegy
2. Purgatory Spiral
3. Cemetery Of Shattered Masks
4. Malignant Prophecy
5. Oration Of Ruin
6. Legacy Of Human Irrelevance
7. Dehumanizing Procession
8. Funerals Drenched In Apathy
9. Warship (The War Against) Yourself
10. A Memorial To The Waste Of Life
11. The Only Blood That Pours Is Yours
12. Unblessed Be
Total playing time 01:15:00

Line-up

Malefic (Scott Conner) – all instruments and vocals