Black Chalice: "Years of Flame"

Grotesque blows to the mind

Black Chalice mixes the stygian pitch of doom metal with tenebrous black and death metal atmospheres, soaked in lovecraftian lore and deeply rooted in deranged insanity, and distills it into a vile concoction of funeral doom metal. "Years of Flame" provides an excellent example of music nestled in the black pits of eldritch influence with sharp focus and traditional emphasis.

"There's an outspoken escatonic simplicity to Hasson's music in Black Chalice that makes up for the predictable nature of it."

Patrick Hasson, mastermind behind the project, descends into madness with a sound like the howling of a moribund ancient beast, creating a solid foundation mix of death metal and funeral doom metal through heavy riffing passages that open up to caverns of grotesque doom. "Years of Flame" is at times dauntlessly unimaginative, but Hasson has got the whole atmosphere aspect by the balls. Tracks like "Chronophage" and "Infallibility of Semen" are aptly haunting and disturbing, putting the rhythm section in the background to focus more on distorted guitars that resonate with the diseased mind. There's an outspoken escatonic simplicity to Hasson's music in Black Chalice that makes up for the predictable nature of it.

The four tracks make up a half hour journey to absurd soundscapes with a few ups and downs along the ways, but mostly "Years of Flame" meanders more than need be, even if you write it off as "atmosphere-building".

6/10

Released in 2011 independently

Links

Black Chalice on FACEBOOK
Black Chalice on BANDCAMP
TONEwood on FACEBOOK


What did you think of Black Chalice's "Years of Flame"?