The old New York death metal scene was a
glorious place during its heyday. There has been a manifestation of indulgent,
cadaverous acts, the most prominent ones being Suffocation, Cannibal Corpse and
Suffocation, which obviously influences the majority of the metal bands that
resided there. Morpheus Descends is one
of the more underground bands to emerge from the filth-laden streets of New
York, and their debut album ‘’Ritual Of Infinity’’ is an ever praised
underground classic that churns together a bulk of brutal aesthetics and
sinister rituals in one place, forming a delicious OSDM feast. The band lived
on for some time, relatively longer than other acts which could not withstand
the furious winds of change, but in the end they too joined the ashes and dust,
only to reappear on the internet. The repute held by about band is simple; an opinion held by the almost the entire underground stating that
their debut is their most golden moment. I, for one must agree that it’s a
golden release, but not the uttermost golden.
Two years after the exhalation of ‘’Ritual
Of Infinity’’, Morpheus Descends bestirs yet another force to unleash, one that
has been shamefully overlooked. ‘’Chronicles Of The Shadowed Ones’’ is an EP,
released without the aid of any label, yet in spite of being a low budget
release, it stands as a better record than the lauded debut. On ‘’Chronicles…’’,
Morpheus Descends undeniably leans towards a more cathartic edge, producing a
bombastic death/doom mutation of shadowy brute force and despondent,
subterranean intellect. Espousing themselves
deeply in a horror concept, the band’s esoteric knowledge excludes the overt
brutality present on the first record and transforms it onto a mournful array
of melancholic death/doom obelisks, taking on a sinister, dabbling hue to
environ the listener in dark, ethereal wroth.
The cravings that Morpheus Descends gouges
are still somewhat similar to the aesthetics of the debut album, but the scrofulous
chthonic emission on ‘’Chronicles…’’ reeks of misanthropy everywhere it goes.
The dynamic, muscular rhythm sequences have all of a sudden been turned into
crushing monstrous death/doom exercises, the tremolo-laced patterns are now sweltering
with dread and constant horror, and in addition, the vocals are murkier and
cavernous, suiting the drudgy trudging of the riffs more. I must confide,
however, that even with the additional gnawing aspects of the raw production
the EP does is not as evil as some other acts with were dominant over the dark
arts such as Infester, but with so much primacy running through veins of punishment,
it’s only natural that the band invigorates the static, brawny elements in
order to attain a dose of brutality that was highly present on the debut.
With some much ponderous grooving going on,
the songs rang at a minimum of five minutes, fuelling numbing pain as the
sludgy excursions ooze from their decrepit caves and emerge. The EP is rather
lengthy to be an EP, ranging at thirty-two minutes, but I suppose it was never
written in the cards for ‘’Chronicles…’’ to reach a higher peak. ‘’Chronicles…’’
also has a very dynamic display of drum fills, my absolute favourite
performance on the whole album. Instead of plodding on at an elephant’s face
alongside the riffs, the drummer often leaps for dexterous fills and jumps from
one queer beat to another, and during faster sections you’ll feel it blasting
vigorously. ‘’Chronicles Of The Shadowed Ones’’ is a death/doom masterpiece, a
stench laden incursion of muscular spasms and monotonous blasts, its horrid ritual
ending with the agonized, lycanthropic howls of the bleak nine minute ‘’Moupho Alde Ferenc
Yaborov (In the Land of the Vampire Ferenczy)’’, an ghastly, inhuman hymn. The debut is a classic death metal
monstrosity, but this EP belongs up there with the masters of harrowing
monotony, amongst Winter, Incantation and dISEMBOWELMENT.
Highlights:
''The Cruciform Hills''
''Cairn Of Dimitru''
''Sings Of Gehenna''
Final Rating:
[9.0/10] Masterpiece
