Death – the callous inevitability that hangs over us all, loitering patiently as seven billion clocks tick away their simultaneous countdown towards one of the few true certainties that life has to offer. As the natural world embraces our inescapable journey into the realms of the exsanguinous unknown, one thing that we can all be sure of is that our lingering shell will be dealt with, one way or another.
The depths of the metal underground are a regular depository for such grisly infatuations, often revelling in gruesome morbidity and feeding off the darkness with vampiric lust and lurid intent. Slovakia’s Death Karma have taken an altogether more fascinating approach to the subject of our mortal cessation, choosing to explore – as the album title suggests – historical rituals that the human race have partaken in over the course of its eventful and provocative existence.
“…the corpses are delicately pulled from the tomb or crypt…family members dance with the bodies…”
Indulging in the decadent deluge of ferocious blackened death metal that also plays host to this duo’s other notable venture Cult of Fire, Death Karma step up their game from 2013’s uncompromising EP A Life Not Worth Living, balancing masterful structure with unrestrained savagery whilst concurrently creating a largely engaging, riff-driven album full of intrigue and notable character. A deep sense of unease, disquiet and foreboding surrounds each song as the band explore the posthumous customs that make up The History of Death & Burial Rituals Part I, basking in overwhelmingly morbid melodiousness before unleashing the full extent of their extreme metal repertoire.
“…flung headlong down a precipice…into this well it was their custom to cast living men as a sacrifice to the Gods in times of drought; and it was their belief that they did not die.”
This is far from the unbridled chaos that defines many black metal releases, and although the full-pelt madness impresses with memorable songwriting and tight instrumentation, it’s the mid-paced moments that truly define the band, shaping their identity with charging riffs whilst emblazoning the music with unnerving atmospherics. As exemplified by opener ‘Slovakia – Journey of the Soul’, the album’s concept is emphasised by these very atmospherics; achieved not so much through overused, clichéd synths but rather through genuinely affective sounds and melodies that conjure places where the dead are respected, glorified and culturally accepted.
“…squat circular walled stone structures, inside which bodies of the deceased are exposed to birds who eat the flesh.”
The production yields an album that sounds quite heavily compressed, yet the slightly homogeneous dynamics accentuate the impact of the music rather than stifle it, creating an intimate environment in which to carve their art. As the eerie guitar melody announces the arrival of ‘Mexico – Chichén Itzá’ Infernal Vlad’s portentous vocals transport the listener to ancient sacrificial rites amidst imposing Aztec temples, all the while spurred on by booming drums and funeral dirge. The at-times flagrant aggression, however, fails in places to complement the imagery invoked through the song titles and associated historical fascinations – ‘India – Towers of Silence’ is a rather conspicuous instrumental piece considering the subject matter, although it does instead serve as a reminder to all that Death Karma are – first and foremost – a band unafraid to unleash all hell when so desired.
“It was said that the hanging coffins could prevent bodies from being taken by beasts and also bless the soul eternally.”
The History of Death & Burial Rituals Part I is as much a fascinating peek into humanity’s cultural honouring of the deceased as it is a superlative piece of blackened death metal, with Death Karma finding inspiration within history and tradition rather than immersing themselves in entrails, yet the effect is no less sinister. Death is one of the most intriguing yet morbid facets of our natural world, and rarely is the macabre so indulgently technicoloured as it is here.
“Our dead are never dead to us, until we have forgotten them.” – George Eliot
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References and further reading:
http://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-africa/turning-bones-and-madagascar-dance-dead-001346
http://www.sacred-texts.com/nam/maya/cbc/cbc31.htm
http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/death/page3.htm
http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_curiosity/2004-10/26/content_62632.htm
