I actually heard The Distracting Stone first, and I still think it's a more sick and twisted portrayal of the band's vehemence than the album at hand, although in many different respects I find River of Corticone equally enjoyable. This stage of Sacramentary Abolishment was not as constantly pummeling or fully-developed soundwise but rather alternated between their characteristic extremely fast song structures and numerous long and twisted doom break-offs - perhaps at times there being a superfluity of the latter, despite the fact that I wish they had not been completed voided in the later material. It's sort of strange to compare a debut to a sophomore effort (and not vice versa) but both of these have been out for a while now and I don't really see the harm in it, especially since the second outing is more widely known.

Sometimes I like to look at River of Corticone as the concept, The Distracting Stone as the rage, and then Axis of Advance as the perfect war machine. Each release is as unconventional and difficult to grasp as the next but brilliant in its own accord; the music is a constant and unrelenting attack against religion, humanity, and all the other pathetic intricacies of civilization. The eight tracks (46 minutes) here are designed to spawn a very cold and foreboding sensation based on the impression of a futuristic river (the Nile) and the collapse of honor within society. Superficially that doesn't make sense but upon viewing the consideration interjected into the lyrics and the abrasive emotions of the music itself one begins to realize the incredible scheme this band successfully undertook and developed. Sacramentary Abolishment function at a level of complexity (not complexity in terms of "technicality," complexity as a coalition of the atmosphere and perception itself) that would make most black metal bands attempting to emulate this style appear outlandish and nonsensical.

The production, music, and vocals transition throughout the group's progression because that is what they are intended to do. In strict terms of sound I don't find Wor's rasps here as energetic as his maniacal low-pitched to torturous shriek style on the succeeding album, although in their projected light they still come across as a powerful and inexorable mechanism. Vermin's riffs are also not as sadistic or ferocious as in The Distracting Stone (look at "Flee the Hammer," or "Mist") but closer to thick cord sections and at times they blend together too much with a cluttered sound (partially due to the production). Paulus, the founder of this band in 1993, drums with his usual amazingly expeditious and point-break approach which is beyond a doubt among the best I've ever heard (look at "Reassessment of Preliminary Defensive Procedures"). I love the band's bizarre and evil doom moments and River of Corticone is absolutely chilling at times, as if being thrust into the icy depths of the Nile itself.

A beautiful and thoughtful album of sheer hatred and darkness, which still grows on me with each listen. I recommend it highly but I also consider it essential to seek out the rest of the band's work (including Axis of Advance) and also Paulus' solitary project Rites of thy Degringolade. There's something inconceivable and incredible at work here.

© 2001 hando