Xasthur, Defective Epitaph
Malefic, the one man ball of hate and blackened apathy, has returned with another dark, doom flooded masterpiece. What astounds me more than the fact that he is performing all elements of the band is that this is his 12th release in one form or another in three years — his second full length in 12 months.
So, what can you expect on Defective Epitaph? Xasthur’s latest release if chock full of grim black metal that gives the listener the feeling as though they are drowning in a sea of rotting flesh and festering blood. Combining traditional black metal elements with forward thinking progression, Malefic has firmly cemented his place at the forefront of experimental, dark music. Through the 12 tracks found on this disc, you’re plunge head first into a living, churning mass of malevolence and malice.
Malefic (Scott Connor) plays each instrument with competence and mastery — even including real drums for the first time. In past releases his instrumentation often fought against one another. While the music on Defective Epitaph is brutalizing and evil, you also feel there was a concerted effort in gearing each instrument so that it works in unison with one another, often creating a subtle melody that was drowned out in the past. More mature and infinitely improved production only help in making this a great listen.
Souless Elegy
The start of this over an hour long epic is “Souless Elegy,” a short, disturbing piece that’s chaotic sounding and dark. Malefic screams in the background as if suffocating under his own music. It’s an interesting effect.
Purgatory Spiral
With “Souless Elegy” ending abruptly, this next track starts off with discordant string orchestration like that of a rutting funeral procession through the gates of hell. This is a dark, slowly churning instrumental.
Cemetary of Shattered Masks
The transitions from song to song aren’t all that smooth as there are gaps that last a bit too long for my own liking, but they do set you up nicely for the next bit of evil cacophony. “Cemetary of Shattered Masks” has an industrial static slathered over it with steel wool. This is a dark, intense piece with lots of keyboard on it. Malefic’s screams are nearly horrifying in their delivery.
Malignant Prophecy
“Malignant Prophecy” starts off quietly and continues rather subdued as Malefic screams in the distant background. This is an erie sound scape of desolation.
Oration of Ruin
One of the several songs weighing in at over seven minutes in length, this is more than just a dark, ambient track. There’s a good bit of drums and lots of keyboard work. We don’t hear any vocals until nearly half way through the track. If this were the soundtrack to a Dracula themed film, it would definitely be used as the camera approaches the dark king’s castle in the mountains. It just sets that sort of mood.
Legacy of Human Irrelevance
The dark themes continue with this next track. Thick string orchestration dominates the first half of the track. There’s a bit of a quiet period before there’s renewed life on the drums.
Dehumanizing Procession
“Dehumanizing Procession” features organ like keyboard work and light drumming at its onset. The erie instrumental lasts for nearly five minutes.
Funerals Drenched in Apathy
Thankfully, Xathur picks up the pace a bit with this next track. Things were starting to get a bit slow there. Malefic screams behind some nice riffing.
Worship (the war against) Yourself
More dark keyboard work picks up where “Funerals Drenched in Apathy” ended abruptly. There are some nice sporadic bursts from the drums throughout this track. There’s lots of tortured screams from Malefic starting halfway through the track.
A Memorial to the Waste of Life
The longest track on the album starts out with some light keyboard work and Malefic’s screaming vocal delivery. I would have liked for him to bring out the vocals a bit more in the production of the album. Sometimes they are just too distant to really appreciate.
The Only Blood that Pours is Yours
Based on the title, this must be a love song. Just kidding. “The Only Blood that Pours is Yours” is a dark sound scape with little if no instrumentation. It’s mostly keyboard work and sound affects, setting the right mood for the final song on the album.
Unblessed Be…
After over an hour of listening, Defective Epitaph wraps up with “Unblessed Be…” — a long winded keyboard based sound scape. It’s a bit of a let down. I think that malefic would ahve been better off ending the album a bit stronger.
~ ~ ~
Demented and discordant sounds, tortured vocals and an overall dark presence combine on an album that needs to be in your collection whether you like black metal or not. Xasthur is one of those experiences that’s hard to describe, but a must have for fans of dark, evil music.
Favorite Tracks:
Souless Elegy
Worship (the war against) Yourself
Additional Notes:
N/A