Thecodontion — Supercontinent
Spread over eleven tracks, Supercontinent tells the tale of shifting earth masses and the transitional land formations this planet has undergone...all done through a black/death lens. While this took billions of years on a planetary scale, Thecodontion gets the process done in just under forty-five minutes. Driven by big, fat bass, Supercontinent carries a heavy urgency that is played out through the jangling, distorted strings. Switching effortlessly between something akin to post-metal and black metal, Thecodontion breaks up the pace of the album just like the continental shifts spreading further apart. What makes Supercontinent special is that what sounds like guitar riffs are all played on the bass (other than the solo on "Laurasia-Gondwana"). The layers of bass make a perfect bedding for the grimy and vile vocals. These guttural utterances bring a primitive element to the mix and reinforce the prehistoric theme. In addition, the drums are fast pace and ambulatory, and give Supercontinent quite a bit of legs. The album isn't just straight-forward banging, either, which adds a lot to its quality. There is an intro ("Gyrosia"), and outro ("Panthalassa"), and a couple of interludes ("Lerova" and "Tethys"). Outside of giving a respite to the metallic fury, these pieces allow the arrangements to really shine. That's not to say that the pummeling bits aren't put together well and introduce interesting elements, but with less sonic distractions, one gets to see what Thecodontion is capable of.
Coming in a deluxe digipack from I, Voidhanger, Thecodontion 's debut LP, Supercontinent, really delivers. Chock full of bombastic bass, blistering beats, and vicious vocals, this black/death/post metal amalgam has the duo and friends firing on all cylinders. Cramming billions of years of history into forty-five minutes, Thecodontion hit it out of the park on their first full length.