Esoteric — Metamorphogenesis

A mystical, desolate journey into the depths of the darkest soul of man. That’s how I would describe this album. Esoteric’s forth album, is a tour de force of apocalyptic power and dynamics. Taking references from right across the spectrum from Swans, Neurosis, Old school industrial and the cream of the funeral doom scene. As soon as you press play it hits you with an impenetrable wall of sound, vast, epic riffs, and dissonant harmonics. Only three tracks but clocking in at over 45 minutes.

The album starts with Dissident. Quite a death metal influence is evident but it’s still centred within Esoteric’s swirling doomscapes and apocalyptic noise. This is the longest track at 17 minutes, it builds and crashes around seemingly disorganised structures, but listen closely and you can here the genius behind the confusion, the complex structures within these songs make them even less accessible than most other funeral doom.

The second track The Secret of The Secret is for me the best thing Esoteric have ever done. It is quite literally trance enduing. Screeching walls of feedback battle with sharp blasts of melody and trippy unbalanced riffs, both crushing and enchanting. The song breaks midpoint for a synth, feedback, slow motion drift workout that sent me into another world when I first heard it. This song really is amazing, I have never got bored of it. The songs climax when all the competing structures combine into one huge wall of force and melody with some magic solos lapping up against your ears The track ends like the first with more industrial noise feedback, before the final song Psychotropic Transgression breaks in.

This is more sedate than the first two tracks, with more of that Esoteric mysticism and otherworldly atmosphere, again some inspired riffs and textures. The vocals perfectly fit the mood of the songs, with the growls acting as another instrument mixing with the grinding riffs and synths adding to the vast apocalyptic feel. This is a extremely out there release from an even more out there band, but if you have an open mind and a fondness for extreme doom then get hold of this release, or listen to it on the bands website.