diSEMBOWELMENT

[Eoin McLove]

I finally picked up a copy of 'Transcendence into the Peripheral' after intending to do so for years and years,  but always having been previously put off by the high price. I think its influence on the current crop of death metal bands can be heard clearly,  but none of those bands seem to capture the same sense of otherworldliness. The heavy guitars overlaid with prominent clean sections; the spasmodic blasting drum patterns; the unique lyrical preoccupations that seem to lean into Zen Buddhism or something along those lines; the minimal artwork that makes sense when viewed in terms of the lyrics; the vast production that makes the whole thing feel open and often deceptively minimal. It's definitely one that stands out from that era as being particularly unique. I know many here will hold this record in high esteem so let's go!

[Slaughterday]

Great band. I think the influence probably even extends past death metal, you can hear it in the likes of The Ruins of Beverast as well.

Picked up the 2CD reissue when it came out and it has the demos, or at least one demo, on there. Don't remember the demos standing out though.

The atmosphere on the album is completely immersive, and the cryptic lyrics only add to the mystery. I never throw this on if I'm in the mood for death metal - I find it has more in common with The Cure's 'Pornography', for some strange reason. Not musically, but I get a similar feeling from that album.

[Eoin McLove]

Interesting observations. I never twigged the similarity with The Ruins of Beverast before but it makes sense and the remark about The Cure ties in with their credit list.

On paper it's a simple enough formula. Slow heavy riffs,  fast drums, clean leads, deep slow growls, but it becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. And, as with 'Stream from the Heavens', the fact that it stands as the only full length recording of the band, it keeps their legacy unsullied and also adds a bit of extra mystique.

I've heard a few bands imitate the style in recent times and when it's done poorly it sounds banal. It doesn't help that a lot of these new bands sound like they all tune the same, record in the same place, use similar artwork and rehashed, bland concepts, and pretty much lack an iota of originality. I'll get off my hobby horse now 

I'll have to somehow find the time to sit down with this, 'Stream from the Heavens', Stormcrowfleet', 'Turn Loose the Swans' and perhaps 'Into Darkness' and make a right old knees up of it.

[H]

Tommy in Sound Cellar sold this to me back in the day....no doubt he told me it sounded nothing like it does. I loved it anyway and got the vinyl recently. That last track 'Cerulean Transcendence...'....amazing.

[Eoin McLove]

Haha yeah, Tommy's recommendations were nothing if not creative 

[Slaughterday]

Interesting observations. I never twigged the similarity with The Ruins of Beverast before but it makes sense and the remark about The Cure ties in with their credit list.

On paper is a simple enough formula. Slow heavy riffs,  fast drums, clean leads, deep slow growls, but it becomes so much more than the sum of its parts. And, as with 'Stream from the Heavens', the fact that it stands as the only full length recording of the band, it keeps their legacy unsullied and also adds a bit of extra mystique.

I've heard a few bands imitate the style in recent times and when it's done poorly it sounds banal. It doesn't help that a lot of these new bands sound like they all tune the same, record in the same place, use similar artwork and rehashed, bland concepts, and pretty much lack an iota of originality. I'll get off my hobby horse now 

I'll have to somehow find the time to sit down with this, 'Stream from the Heavens', Stormcrowfleet', 'Turn Loose the Swans' and perhaps 'Into Darkness' and make a right old knees up of it.

I've never listened to Stormcrowfleet in full so ill remedy that now.

It's definitely a style that can sound extremely shit and clumsy if it's done wrong. There's so little going in the songs a lot of the time that it can cross the line into boredom very easily.

[Eoin McLove]

Stormcrowfleet is fantastic. I love both versions, the original master (or it was possibly unmastered which might explain the distant sound) and the recent vinyl edition with much cleaner, clearer sound that Svart released. I know a lot of people are bothered by the clean production on the new reissue but for me it just shows how strong the music is and how much of the atmosphere they captured on that record was simply down to brilliant, evocative songwriting and not only the murky production.

[blessed1]

Great album. Reminds me of the goat of mendes in places.

[Pentagrimes]

Great band. I think the influence probably even extends past death metal, you can hear it in the likes of The Ruins of Beverast as well.

I'm about 99% sure I saw ROB bust out part of a Disembowelment song while soundchecking in Voodoo a few years back. So that makes sense. I just cant remember which song it was.