9 Schammasch - Triangle 543 Points, 15 Votes, One #1
http://i.imgur.com/9baBfEr.jpg
https://open.spotify.com/album/08pUbf5AYJ38OpjpPKoXpr
spotify:album:08pUbf5AYJ38OpjpPKoXpr
https://schammasch.bandcamp.com/album/triangle
The colossal new album from Swiss avant-garde extreme metal titans SCHAMMASCH. Entitled 'Triangle', it encompasses a 100 minute masterwork in three distinct movements - Part I : The Process Of Dying, Part II : Metaflesh and Part III : The Supernal Clear Light Of The Void. Presented as a bold triple vinyl / triple gatefold limited ediition vinyl set and 3 separate cd albums presented in a slipcase with imagery realised by acclaimed photographer Ester Segarra and graphic designer Valnoir. Rarely is such a grand musical and aestethic feat accomplished within the bounds of extreme metal. Recorded by V. Santura (Triptykon / Dark Fortress). CD set strictly limited to 2000 copies worldwide. 3LP set limited to 666 copies worldwide.
Includes unlimited streaming of Triangle via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
It's with great pleasure that we introduce you to the colossal new album by SCHAMMASCH. Entitled 'Triangle', it encompasses a 100 minute masterwork in three distinct movements - Part I : The Process Of Dying, Part II : Metaflesh and Part III : The Supernal Clear Light Of The Void. Presented as a bold triple vinyl / triple gatefold limited ediition vinyl set and 3 separate cd albums presented in a slipcase with imagery realised by acclaimed photographer Ester Segarra and graphic designer Valnoir. Rarely is such a grand musical and aestethic feat accomplished within the bounds of extreme metal.
Located in Basel, Switzerland, Schammasch was formed in 2009.’Schammasch’ being Šamaš, the sun god from Akkadian / Babylonian mythology.)
With little attention to the question of genre from their inception, the band regarded their actual body of work as what is most artistically significant; although their roots can be found in forward-thinking black metal whilst balancing a razor sharp hybrid of dark atmospherics, doom and Hermetic mysticism.
After a year of carefully crafting their art, Schammasch released their first album „Sic Lvceat Lvx“ on an underground Swiss Black Metal label and unveiled their live show alongside international extreme metal acts like Jex Thoth, Temple of Baal, Vorkreist, Evoken and Forgotten Tomb. Their ambitious debut garnered considerable praise from many corners of the extreme music world, in print and online.
As the first Swiss band to join the Prosthetic roster, Schammasch release their second opus „Contradiction“ as a double album in 2014, which was recorded and produced by none other than Tripkyton / ex-Celtic Frost guitarist V. Santura. A sprawling, epic work over 85 minutes, presented with the majestic arkwork of artist Valnoir of the Metastazis Studio in Paris (Paradise Lost, Alcest, Ulver.) The album gets high attention from magazines like Metal Hammer UK, Terrorizer, RockHard GER and many more. Metal Hammer describes „Contradiction“ as "cerebral and utterly absorbing and one of the most overwhelming albums of the year".
Later this year the band’s first international tour starts off, supporting Dark Fortress and Secrets of the Moon, receiving great response from crowds all over Europe. At the same time their video clip „Golden Light“ is released, again including Valnoir as a co-producer and William Lacalmontie (Corrections House, Church of Ra, Godflesh) as main producer. Appearing on countless best of 2014-lists to the end of the year including RockHard’s best of sampler, „Contradiction“ turned out to be a truly commanding work of significant importance, both to extreme music in 2014 and to the rich heritage of forward thinking Swiss metal in general.
In 2015 Schammasch fully concentrate on the process of songwriting for their 3rd album, following and continuing their path with utter focus and fervour, to finally enter Woodshed studio again in summer, starting the first of many long recording sessions. In September the new album is finally mixed and mastered, this time also including Michael Zech as a co-producer, who is well known for his production work for Triptykon, Secrets of the Moon and Ascension.
The band’s third album is entitled „Triangle“, a monolith consisting of three LPs each 33:30 minutes in length, each differing in atmosphere and style, each standing for one of three stages of the album’s strong concept. This very unique concept is visually presented by a series of four photographs (one Box, three sleeves), each an incarnate statement of the concept’s stage, taken by Ester Segarra (Watain, Electric Wizard, Bloodbath) in London to the end of 2015.
„Triangle“ will be released in April 2016, shortly after followed by the band’s second video clip „Metanoia“, which will be produced in February, in the midst of Iceland’s astonishing landscapes. Now teamed up with the booking agency District 19 (Apshyx, Bölzer, Enthroned), Schammasch are eager to release their third opus, with highest expectations for the media‘s response and many possibilities to present their art on stage.
credits
released April 29, 2016
tags
tags: black metal metal schammasch avant-garde Switzerland
http://www.themonolith.com/music/review-schammasch-triangle/
Triangle
29th April, 2016 – Prosthetic Records
Disc I – The Process of Dying
01. Crepusculum
02. Father’s Breath
03. In Dialogue with Death
04. Diluculum
05. Consensus
06. Awakening from the Dream of Life
Disc II – Metaflesh
01. The World Destroyed by Water
02. Satori
03. Metanoia
04. Above the Stars of God
05. Conclusion
Disc III – The Supernal Clear Light of the Void
01. The Third Ray of Light
02. Cathartic Confession
03. Jacob’s Dream
04. Maelstrom
05. The Empyrean
The Baslerin’s 2010 debut Sic Lvceat Lux alone was good enough to get them signed to Prosthetic Records. The rather excellent Contradiction followed in 2014, and two years later they are bringing their third full length, Triangle, to the table. Triangle is a massive album, packed onto three discs, each representing a different side or sound. Ambitious? Yes, absolutely. The length should not daunt any potential listeners though. Each side is only about 30 minutes long, and the album actually moves by fairly quickly once you achieve total immersion. And there is a lot to immerse yourself in.
Part I: The Process of Dying
Triangle’s first part revels in sheer flame; slow-burning, acid-spewing fire. Containing the most orthodox black metal found on the record, it still has Schammasch’s signature ritualistic spin. It’s hard not to make the comparison to Behemoth; Chris’ vocals have a similar furnace-like quality, and the guitar riffs ring with an eerie occult power much like found on some of the Polish legends’ works. The comparisons are only mild however, as Schammasch have a much more developed talent for writing guitar melodies to wind their way around the riffs and vocals – and nor do the death metal elements that Behemoth have cultivated really exist within the torrent of grim fire spewed forth on The Process of Dying.
Furthermore, the songs on The Process of Dying have almost a hollow feeling to them; tension and terror lurks within them. “In Dialogue with Death” in particular is desperate and prophetic, flaying the mind of the listener in unholy fires of doomsday; the sound of Luciferian deities setting the mortal realm ablaze, and bringing an end to the age of man. What could possibly follow this?
Part II: Metaflesh
Triangle‘s second part, Metaflesh, reveals Schammasch’s occult side. Vastly more ambient, and feels more almost apocalyptic, dealing lyrically with the destruction of mankind and the world. It erupts into something akin to Part I’s burning fire at times, but maintains a methodical pace for the most part.
Songs like “Satori” and the transcendental “Above the Stars of God” are some of the finest black metal tracks written in recent memory; the latter with serving as the aftermath of the first disc, where fire has devastated the world, and so now fire comes for the eternal kingdom of Heaven. “Above the Stars of God” stands out particularly as one of the best tracks of the year, staring out slow with an almost David Gilmour-like guitar solo building up until the song slams into the listener with heavy chords and powerful vocals. The cries of “I will raise my throne!” are nothing short of awe-inspiring.
And then from there it drops into the brooding, acoustic “Conclusion”, which is the perfect transition into part the third…
Part III: The Supernal Clean Light of the Void
Final chapter The Supernal Clean Light of the Void throws the listener for a bit of a curveball. Rather than another fiery torrent of black metal or a menacing, lumbering beast of occultism, its minimalist, dark, ambient tendencies make it perhaps the one that is most easily left on as background music. Tranquil, yet with a strange malevolence, the drumming is often very simple and tribal, while the instrumentation ranges from ominous drones to acoustic guitars to pipes and saxophones.
Closing track “The Empyrean” is very fitting and almost seems to tie the sounds of all three parts together, marrying the pounding occult and fear from the first two with all the tense malice of the third.
As a whole, Triangle‘s musicianship is phenomenal. Boris’ drumming is especially noticeable on many tracks, providing a fantastic backdrop for the blistering and towering guitars. His work on songs like “Consensus” or “Above the Stars of God” is jaw-dropping; the rhythmic patterns are hypnotizing, and to his credit, the performance across all three party raises Schammasch above their peers.
Elsewhere, Chris S.R utilises a range of styles, from infernal growls to demonic rasping – and even clean vocals that sound like an ominous liturgical chant – while some fantastic little guitar leads make their presence felt all over the album. “Awakening from the Dream of Life” has one of the more memorable ones including a ferocious harmonized tapping section, as well as a the incredible “Above the Stars of God” has a truly incredible one that enhances the feeling of the vocals and then later the drumming.
Black metal is known for lo-fi and raw production values, but the trend lately with many bands is to go the opposite route. Schammasch are one such band; Triangle#s mix is pristine, with every element shining through. If a lead is buried, then it is meant to be buried. Nothing is drowned out, and the whole thing rings with power.
Triangle is just a fantastic record. The triple-disc format may be somewhat intimidating, but the overall run-time is not actually all that long, especially when one considers that the listener is getting essentially three different albums from it. Each part is a unique taste of Schammasch’s diverse flavour, and each has different strong points supporting the atmosphere of the album. Highly recommended for fans of black metal who are tired of worshipping Mayhem all the time.
― Cosmic Slop, Wednesday, 21 December 2016 13:30 (seven years ago) link