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Encenathrakh - Thraakethraaeate Thraithraake review




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Reviewer:
7.5

12 users:
7.08
Band: Encenathrakh
Album: Thraakethraaeate Thraithraake
Release date: October 2020


01. Kethkeaakeaxin Raithraatetten
02. Ggorngth Hrath
03. Akeicthakc Attkethence
04. Vvethkeal Hra Icthketh
05. Thraakethraaeate Thraithraake
06. Akceate Icthkethgrath
07. Interlude: Infinity Cosmic Indifference
08. Gethevvakeceate Hrageth
09. Cevealakcthraa Erthhra
10. Eateicthrai Kethakea
11. Erthhra Hrath

It should be a criminal offence to make brutal death metal albums longer than 30 minutes.

Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You may remember from my last death metal review that I said "I guess I need a break from death metal from a while. Call me when Charnel Altar release their debut. Until then I renounce reviewing death metal (or at least this year)." You'll notice I am reviewing death metal right now. Well something happened. I saw a bunch of technical brutal death metal albums appearing in the top metal charts on Rate Your Music, and I though I might give some of them a shot. I am generally not a fan of the genre, and you usually need something fantastic to change my mind. But that day something clicked. From Putrescent Seepage to Pharmacist and from Edenic Past to Encenathrakh, I was won over for that one day.

Probably the one that blew me away the most, and the one that I decided to break my "death metal reviewing moratorium" for, one that I didn't even break for Undergang and Of Feather And Bone (please somebody else review them so I don't feel guilty), is the latest Encenathrakh. Sure, I usually review OSDM or atmospheric death stuff, so I can use the excuse that I'm only refraining from those and not avantgarde brutal technical death metal. And I do. But it's also because Colin Marston is in this band. And most of the technical death stuff that I do love was either made by/with him (reunion era Gorguts, Dysrhythmia, Krallice or Behold The Arctopus) or produced by him (the Afterbirth and Pyrrhon albums that I reviewed, plus everything from Imperial Triumphant to Defeated Sanity). So namedropping galore. In Encenathrakh he is joined by members of Behold The Arctopus, Krallice, and Edenic Past, which, if you remember correctly, Colin is also part of.

Ok, namedropping aside. If you know anything about all those bands I just named, you know that Thraakethraaeate Thraithraake is bonkers. It's crazy. It's wacky. It's nuts. It's of unsound mind. It's bats in the belfry. All that (free) jazz. And also some of the best players you'll find and some of the best sound quality. You know, it's technically death metal, but it's the free jazz of death metal, or the zeuhl of death metal if you will, maybe even the harsh noise wall of death metal, with the technical aspects far superseding the need for coherent song structures or any contrasts besides some ambient interludes. And when I first listened to it, I was absolutely blows away. I asked myself why would you even make your death metal technical if you didn't go all the way like these guys do. But also, since I was listening to this album in the background and doing some work in the meantime, I found myself surprised that it is still going. I had to make sure that I didn't accidentally replay it. To my surprise, I was barely more than halfway through, and I was already looking forward to listening to something else.

Turns out, when you're pushing the best aspects of your music to 11, you still gotta keep moderation in mind. Encenathrakh's first and self-titled album understood that, hence why that one is 33 minutes, and this one is 42. Generally you wouldn't think of a 42 minutes album as a long one, but if there's anything that can make an album feel long is if a lot is going on at the same time, but everything that is going on doesn't really vary. I also feel like criticizing it for what it was obviously constructed for is kinda missing the point. This is how to be unrelenting without being noisy. It's very specific music. I just wish it got somewhere, whether through some musical variety, or by ending the album sooner. You don't have to lose your eclectic technical credibility to make your album more interesting in the long run.



Rating breakdown
Performance: 10
Songwriting: 5
Originality: 9
Production: 9





Written on 19.12.2020 by Doesn't matter that much to me if you agree with me, as long as you checked the album out.


Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 61 users
19.12.2020 - 18:05
Netzach
Planewalker
I will probably never listen to this, but I have to say this is one of the best plotted reviews in a while. From a technical (yeah, yeah) perspective, I guess. First two sections made me feel in on the bands mentioned in spite of being totally clueless, the third section ends in a great twist, and we all know the feeling described in the final thoughts. Devious!
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19.12.2020 - 18:37
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by Netzach on 19.12.2020 at 18:05

I will probably never listen to this, but I have to say this is one of the best plotted reviews in a while. From a technical (yeah, yeah) perspective, I guess. First two sections made me feel in on the bands mentioned in spite of being totally clueless, the third section ends in a great twist, and we all know the feeling described in the final thoughts. Devious!

I can't say I planned it to be like this. Like the album itself, it was mere improvisation.

You should still give at least one song a listen.
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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19.12.2020 - 21:06
Rating: 7
Roman Doez
Hallucigenia
I'm a sucker for everything Colin Marston, gonna check this one out, hope it's not as out there as the last Behold The Arctopus
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20.12.2020 - 09:26
Rating: 8
DarkWingedSoul

Thanks Radu, this and some u mentioned at the beginning of the review will save my christmas (feeling, mood, spirit - whatever), cheers
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20.12.2020 - 10:39
nikarg

I was thinking "where is he going with this?" after the first two paragraphs but it all kind of made sense by the end. This album is bonkers as you say; the technical skill is undoubtable but I find it unlistenable I'm afraid. I gave up after three tracks.

Off-topic but pertinent to your review: the albums by Undergang and Pharmacist are recommended by me as well. The former is a fun mix of Obituary and Demilich, and the latter is pure Carcass worship and riffy as hell.
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20.12.2020 - 11:15
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by nikarg on 20.12.2020 at 10:39

I was thinking "where is he going with this?" after the first two paragraphs but it all kind of made sense by the end. This album is bonkers as you say; the technical skill is undoubtable but I find it unlistenable I'm afraid. I gave up after three tracks.

The rest of it sounds like those three tracks. Unlistenable indeed, but you gotta agree that is some of the most awesomely bonkers unlistenable music out there.

Written by nikarg on 20.12.2020 at 10:39

Off-topic but pertinent to your review: the albums by Undergang and Pharmacist are recommended by me as well. The former is a fun mix of Obituary and Demilich, and the latter is pure Carcass worship and riffy as hell.

Big up. Check out Of Feather And Bone too if you haven't.
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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07.01.2021 - 11:35
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by nikarg on 20.12.2020 at 10:39

Off-topic but pertinent to your review: the albums by Undergang and Pharmacist are recommended by me as well. The former is a fun mix of Obituary and Demilich, and the latter is pure Carcass worship and riffy as hell.

Written by RaduP on 20.12.2020 at 11:15
Big up. Check out Of Feather And Bone too if you haven't.


I'm developing a serious crush on this unoriginal, but ultra-disgusting ugh death metal. When it's well performed it's just so fucking sweet.
So I'm reminding myself to check Pharmacist, Of Feather And Bone, Putrescent Seepage, and the others. If I had more willpower this is type of stuff I'd review more of if I wanted to take the workload from you haha.

This is fucking bonkers though. I'm just starting the fourth track and I'm like "15 mins... This really should wrap things up in the next 10-15 tops". The music itself is stellar if you ask me so I might keep pushing it. Conflicting album that's for sure.

Edit: On track 9 of 11 but I wasgoing through websites and reading and stuff so that does affect your judgement of time. If I were to solely focus on the music my mind would get numb by the 30 min mark. Good album at any rate but they really need to tone the lengths. But man what a performance. The 10 is justified on that point.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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