Coma Cluster Void - Thoughts from a Stone (review)
Coma Cluster Void – Thoughts from a Stone
Band: Coma Cluster Void
Genre: Dissonant death metal
Album: Thoughts from a Stone
Release date: October 13th 2017
I breathe an awakening of life among the bloated
The twisted and torn
A blackened unborn
A shimmering glimmer of hope
Bestowed upon new beginnings
It starts with haunting sounds from the jungle. Merciless violin screechingwith a creepy tribal instrument will make you feel as if you are a part of some ancient ritual.The tension grows even bigger the moment you hear apocalyptic poetry, heavier than the universe. No, you are not reading about some occult ritual but about a brand new Coma Cluster Void album – Thoughts from a Stone.With first guitar notes and pounding drums a black hole is summoned, ready to suck in your senses. Discordant progression and hissing of a lich mistress create an atmosphere that would put everyone outside their comfort zones. Bass rattling and guitar weeping become one, and with the second (this time male) vocalist, things are getting even more twisted and exciting. Then, in a moment, this hypnotic sound transforms into something more vile and schizophrenic. The guitar riffs are suddenly more complex and aggressive while the drums are carrying pulsating walls of sound like shockwaves, melting forth everything in its path. Around the 7th minute, things are getting even heavier and more out-of control (oh the irony, as if the song was not heavy enough before that!) Blast beats, razor-cutting riffs and a hail of noise that follows will make you think that the guitarist is having sex with his guitar. These punching notes will squirm your ears and melt your brain a bit. But the coolest thing about this release is that we are talking about an almost 22 minute long song/EP. The whole thing is like some sort of classical concerto with a dozen movements. Omnipresent aura of dissonance is probably getting its peak at 9:22 when the song gets noisier than ever. And right afterwards, you can hear repetition of previously played riffs for the first time.
Deep growls and slow paced riff announce a „new beginning” for the song. The state of melancholy is deepened by creepy bass and violin notes and Sylvia Hintz’s chants in the background. And then out of nowhere, the whole band starts chanting. Pretty unexpected and refreshing! But, that’s only about 20 seconds of the song and, all of a sudden, everything is dissonant again! Space-like bass riffs intertwined with the wickedness of John Strieder’s guitar attacksand Sylvia’s eerie-as-fuck chants are just an overture for the things to come! The song gets new momentum the moment Sylvia starts showing the dark side of her vocal capability for the first time! And yes, she screams like a banshee! Slow-paced riffs & drumming withalternating growls and clean vocalscreate a state of tension which lasts till the end of the song. And yes, what starts with dissonance, ends with dissonance.
Coma Cluster Void’sThoughts from a Stone is a breath of fresh air in a sea of mediocrity that fills our ears. Production-wise, this bandmay remind you of bands like Thoren or Teramobil, but when speaking of their music, Coma sounds like Meshuggah’s bastard child on heavy drugs who is addicted to dissonant death metal as well. Theatrical & story telling aspect of this EP will keep you tied and closely connected to the music till the very end. This breathtaking release is with no doubt, one of the strongest this year. Don’t try to find flaws, ‘cause you won’t find any.
Rating: 9/10
Bandcamp: https://comaclustervoid.bandcamp.com/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/coma.cluster.void/
Official website: http://comaclustervoid.com/
Lineup: Mike DiSalvo (vocals; Cornflux, ex-Cryptopsy)
John Strieder (guitars)
Austin Lee Taylor (guitars; Dimensionless)
Christopher Burrows (drums; Thoren, Vihaan)
Sylvia Hinz (bass)
