Esoteric — A Pyrrhic Existence

Around the mid-1990s, when my main sonic was all things Black Metal, one of my friends brought me a pirate cassette. On the photocopied cover were some geometric fractals or patterns. Written on the spine was Esoteric -Epistemological Despondency. My Friend told me - This is painful music, this is for the dead. I think it was the most intriguing and accurate definition of what was recorded on this tape. I thought that could well be the sounds of the dead. At this point, I wasn't aware of genre Funeral Doom, or of course Esoteric. Since then I have become a huge fan of this Birmingham band. In the early 2000s, another friend of mine interviewed the band for a Russian music magazine. He suggested that I ask a few questions because he believed that I had a deeper understanding of bands' work. Perhaps they influenced my perception of music in general and gave me an impulse to understand Dark Ambient, Industrial and Noise. So, this review is for me somewhat of like a test of my objectivity.

So, Esoteric was formed in 1992, in Birmingham. The founders and permanent band members are Greg Chandler (vocals, guitars, keyboards) and Gordon Bicknell (guitars, keyboards). The band's line-up has changed several times, but since 2009 it has remained a stable quintet. The band self-released their first album Esoteric Emotions - The Death Of Ignorance in 1993. Later, this album, like all subsequent ones, was reissued several times. Even though Esoteric has existed for almost 30 years now, their discography features only eight albums. The last full-length album, Paragon Of Dissonance, and was released back in 2011 on Seasons Of Mists. And now, after 8 long years wait, in 2019, the same label releases a new Esoteric album A Pyrrhic Existence. It was published in several formats - 3LP Black Vinyl, 3LP Marbled Vinyl, 3LP Turquoise Vinyl, 2CD Mediabook, and digital. At the time of writing this review, both 3LP Black Vinyl and  Marbled Vinyl editions have sold out, but the other formats are still  available on the website and Bandcamp of the label. It is also worth mentioning that this album was released by two Russian labels Satanath Records and Kattran Records in the form of 2CD Edition.
 
The cover of the new release is rather different from previous albums from the band. In past, we’ve found abstract compositions, patterns and fractals predominated in the design, but now the cover contains a storyline, executed, however, in a surreal and mystical style. Against the background of a lifeless mountain valley, in the middle of the composition stands a figure dressed in a shroud. Around his head are ghostly faces or masks braided by a kind of web. The figure stands as if it’s tearing off these ghostly masks. Behind the central figure are several ghostly nude figures resembling the dead. They are also trying to take off their masks. Their legs are transformed into a large number of pale snakes, spreading in different directions. Closer to the bottom edge of the cover is the band's name. This is an inscription made in white simple Roman font, combined with symmetrical ornaments, as well as giving a small grunge effect. Below is the album's title set in a simple white font of a smaller size. The cover is made in muted dirty colors, which gives it a certain gloomy atmosphere. Honestly, I was somewhat surprised at the choice of cover. However, I think that this cover perfectly conveys the mood and atmosphere of the album, raising many questions and topics for reflection. In general, the cover seemed to be closer in spirit to the Progressive Metal / Rock covers, which, in general, was not so far from the sonic truth of the album.
 
Esoteric has always released long/ epic albums, and A Pyrrhic Existence is no exception. The total length of the album is just under one hour and thirty-eight minutes and consists of six tracks.
 
I will give my general impressions of the album because it makes no sense to disassemble each composition - they are so diverse, rich and ephemeral. The album is divided into two parts- featuring three, flowing into each other songs. The move from one track to the next is done in such a subtle and imperceptible manner that it creates the feeling of a single whole. I think that dividing of titles/ tracks here is just a formality. The first part of the album consists of the first three tracks - the impressive first track "Descent", which lasts a little over twenty-seven and a half minutes; almost sixteen minutes long track "Rotting in Dereliction" and a rather short track "Antim Yatra", which is a kind of Outro for the first part of the album and lasts a little over four and a half minutes. The second part of the album consists of the tracks "Consuming Lies", "Culmination" and "Sick and Tired", which last from fifteen to nineteen minutes.
 
 
At the start of their career, Esoteric crossed Funeral Doom, Death Metal with psychedelic musical experiments that bordered on Ambient and Noise. Subsequently, Death Metal elements became less noticeable, giving way to atmospheric and more psychedelic elements. I think that A Pyrrhic Existence is the most quintessence of all the band's albums. The tag Funeral Doom has always been too narrow for the band. What you hear on A Pyrrhic Existence cannot be adequately expressed in words. funeral Doom parts are combined with medium- and high-speed Doom / Death moments, acoustic and melodic keyboard parts, as well as the deepest and widest atmosphere, bordering on Dark Ambient / Noise. Atmospheric heavy guitars; solo guitar parts that are diverse in mood; melodic keys, sometimes leading the music to the symphonic side; and, of course, the recognizable vocals of Greg Chandler, ranging from growling to black metal screech. The compositions are so rich and complex that sometimes the thread of the composition itself is lost. After a while of listening to the album, I stopped following the musical line and fully immersed in sound and atmosphere. It was then that I remembered my first impressions - that is how death sounds. It is an addictive whirlpool of sounds, sensations, memories, hopes, and fears. After listening, I was impressed for a while. It was something like an aftershock. Sensations of emotional uplift, adrenaline and at the same time - mental devastation. I apologize for the cluttered ramblings - but the album was really like an hour and a half trip that one stumbles out of disoriented.  As for comparisons with other representatives of the style, I think that in this case, this is inappropriate. Esoteric moved away from the Funeral Doom tag, preserving the aesthetics and atmosphere of style. I think that now it can be called Psychodelic Progressive Funeral Doom/Death Metal. Oddly enough, but right now, the closest comparison to Esoteric is Pink Floyd in times of their classic albums.
 
 
No doubt A Pyrrhic Existence is the pinnacle of Esoteric sonic art. I think this is one of the best albums of 2019 in heavy music, and the best album in the genre of Funeral Doom. But it makes me worry that no one else will be able to create something so interesting and powerful. Even Esoteric themselves- a hands-down classic.