Death metal combined the reductionist musical mechanics of hardcore with the mythological-historical view of epic heavy metal, resulting in a through-composed phrasal narrative which shifted context to reveal new implications of its parts with both grandeur and raging realism.
Ascendency — an equal parts cross between Kjeld, Demigod, Dux, and Desultory — starts with a basis of Scandinavian melodic death metal, then melds in the esoteric constructions of Finnish death metal, and works in the melodies of the new school of bands who invert the bittersweet melodies of contemporary music.
The constructions used on this release start in diminished melodies and expand them until they have melodic and whole tone implications that show us the order rising out of chaos against the fearbound human tendency toward oversimplification.
Expect running melodic riffs that seem to go sour, then battle it out with tripartite internal themes before expanding to a position of clarity where the inverted has become clarified again and life is like it is in the natural world, both brutal and beautiful, arising anew from its constant conflict.
Tags: ascendency, death metal
Boring……
Sounds like an interpretation of the Beach Boyd
“an equal parts cross between Kjeld, Demigod, Dux, and Desultory”
I like none of these bands, except perhaps some Into Eternity from time to time.
Oh well, at least it’s not glam rock masquerading as black/death metal this time.
Funny thing is: I’m a complete sucker for glam metal. Queensrÿche, Motley Crüe, Scorpions, Norther, Accept, Motörhead (if you count them as such, which is a stretch I admit)… hell, I even tolerate some Guns n Roses and Bullet For My Valentine… buy trying to mix it with death metal? what’s the point?
if queensrÿche, accept and motörhead are glam, them all trad metal bands are glam
Motörhead is glam?
Queensrÿche is great when they are great, alternative rock when they are not.
When are they “Great?”
first four albums
sorry, i meant first 3 albums and first ep. empire sucks.
Skip Rage for Order.
Operation Mindcrime is their peak, but the earlier material has its moments.
Aesthetics and content are different; sometimes a band has great aesthetics but unconvincing content. None of those strike me as lightweights, but imagine what could be done with those styles but by other bands.
Glam is what we should really be pushing the limits of
Yes by making it into death metal. Oh wait, you just invented Dissection.
I pretty much just want to hear Panteras “Power Metal” but with a shitload more drum, bass and LSD
That’s Chumbawumba.
I’ll have to check them out
Nu-glam has been done to death already. I guess Midnight, Syphilitic Vaginas and the like have a certain charm, just like how a HIV+ orgy does.
It’s true. Most of the French scene is probably glam, and the US scene has always been mostly glam.
First albums from Kjeld and Demigod are smashers.
You’ve got tracks from two different releases, though. Does the review apply to both?
Not really but somewhat; the earlier release has even more Demigod-ish atmosphere.
It’s AscendEncy with an E, I finally caught Brett make a typo!!!!!!!!!!
He makes them now and then, but considering the amount of text he produces nowadays, at what speed he does it and the lack of editors, it’s pretty incredible how few those typos are.
The BrettAI v6.66 has taken decades to perfect after all.
It was written in Perl.
Thanks. Fixed!