THE CHASM The Spell Of Retribution
Wicked World/Earache
2004
www.enterthedeathcult.com
1. From The Curse, A Scourge...
2. The Omnipotent Codex
3. Conqueror & Warlord
4. Manifest My Intervention
5. Fortress
6. Retribution Of The Lost Years (I, The Pathfinder III)
7. Conquering The New Apocalypse
8. The Eclipse: Moument To The Empire
I. Sentence And Burden
II. The Voyage
III. The Restitution
9. Remains Of The Covenant
10. Eternal Cycle of Delusion
One of Wicked World/Earache's latest signings is Mexico's THE CHASM, whose first release for the label is a scathing cauldron of mystic death, entitled The Spell Of Retribution. While I have been a fan of this band since hearing Procession To The Infraworld a few years back, I must say that this is the album I have been waiting for. Not that there is anything drastically different here, but it seems that all of the key ingredients have been perfectly blended. The conceptual epics that they are known for, unique riffs and melodies, all contained within. And there lies the difficulty of this review, taking it ALL in. This has about as many different riffs as DARK ANGEL's Time Does Not Heal! Well, maybe not that many, but you get my point...
Now, THE CHASM have been at it for a long time, releasing albums on their own, through Oz Records, Dwell Records and now their new home, Earache. It's been a long time coming, in fact this particular album has been highly hyped for the last year or so. Well, it's now here and the results are astounding. Their seventh release may very well be their best, a culmination of determination and hard work. Opening with an instrumental track, the album kicks off in a very catchy, yet unsimplistic way. It's apparent from the start that there is something special here, that this may be one of those metal albums that will make "the books," so to speak. Once "The Omnipotent Codex" begins, this platter of death never lets up. I dare any metalhead to not bang thy head by the 3 minute mark of this song. The hurricane pace of "Conqueror & Warlord" levels the field, by the end of the song I feel like I've heard every reference point of brutal, thrashin' death metal available to mankind. From KREATOR to SABBAT to MAIDEN to INCANTATION to MORBID ANGEL, and we're only finishing the third track, sixteen minutes or so into the album! Stunning.
The snakelike riff that starts the fourth song, "Manifest my Intervention," is some of the sickest riffing I've heard since NILE or MITHRAS collapsed into our collective laps. It is quite obvious that THE CHASM are not content with simple structures, yet somehow when they throw the paint on the paper, they manage to see that it drips and flows in a certain fashion, and it works. Fifth song in and I'm still hooked, the title of this one fitting as that is exactly what this is, a fortress of pure metal. Where do they come up with all of these riffs? Maybe they should share some, so they wouldn't make everybody seem so lazy! There are many epic moments, track six included, which comes in at eight minutes. They make good use of acoustic guitars on this one, it adds an element of atmosphere missing from many of their contemporaries.
The album's longest track comes in the form of "The Eclipse: Monument To The Empire." Clocking in at nine and a half minutes, a three part epic, that is without a doubt, the centerpiece of the album. Again, everything from death metal to riffs that sound like Moving Pictures era RUSH towards the very end of the song. Wow!!! And then, for the doom lords out there, check out "Remains Of The Covenant." Very impressive, indeed. They round everything out with a fairly technical number for the last song. The tempo changes are very frequent, the drummer is gonna have his work cut out for him live.
I'm sure this album will go over most people's heads, but for those that have an attention span, or if you're A.D.D. and on ritalin, give it a few spins. Stimulate your brain, it's good for you.
Rating: 9/10
Papa Josh
