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Xasthur: Defective Epitaph review
by ©Scarlet Metal & www.whoresofchaos.com
September 29, 2007
(2 cd import)
 
Malefic, the anarch of black ambient metal has finely honed his dark craft
beyond all expectations in his latest opus Defective Epitaph. The sound
of the mysterious spectre that is Xasthur has been further regressed to
perfection by low-fi production, real drums and cello on this release.
 
A mournful  'Soulless Elegy' commences this most unsympathetic of rituals,
with real skins portending early Burzumesque influences suspended in the
aura of  Malefic's latest scintillant meisterstück. Forever writhing and
convoluting within the somnolence of the 'Purgatory Spiral', the lost circle
among infinite rows of disintegrating headstones in the 'Cemetery Of
Shattered Masks'. From above, a dismal chorus of blind archangels
lament the 'Malignant Prophecy' over an anguished monotonous dirge.
In spectacular dissonant turbulence thunders a final 'Oration Of Ruin',
as cold black tears are shed upon the 'Legacy Of  Human Irrelevance'.
Falling into line, the last of the living dead merge into the doomed queue
thereby joining the sepulchral march in a 'Dehumanizing Procession'.
Drenched in a dense suffocative atmosphere of  impending extinction,
they plod on amidst the foetid decay of  'Funerals Drenched In Apathy'.
'Worship (The War Against) Yourself' in a mirror of divine madness,
as the tintinnabulum emanates eerie subliminal emissions from a cryptic
reflection. 'A Memorial To The Waste Of  Life' compels in a moment
of clarity, then mercilessly thrashes the virtuous further into a funneling
vortex of despair. 'The Only Blood That Pours Is Yours', an ironic
consequence. 'Unblessed Be'.
 
cd II: (unreleased tracks/import version)
A sinking dissonant requiem, the first track 'Untitled/Unreleased'
is music to both unravel and to become unhinged by. In retro slow motion,
the raw ominous thudding of drums is in stark contrast to the minimal
instrumentation of sinister droning yet it effectively enhances a sense of
doom and dissolution. A continuance of the vertiginous black wall of sound
heard in the first cd returns on track 2 'Untitled/Unreleased', in which
Malefic's vox truly captures the bizarre and agonizing rasping of trying to
scream whilst falling into the abyss of a nightmare (as it does throughout
most of this release). 'Morder Gjengklang Av Tankegangen', the tables
are turned and the inhuman rasping is replaced by muffled soul rending
screams.

Defective Epitaph was recorded on an analogue 8-track
during the months March 2006 through April 2007.
Mixed and engineered by Malefic, mastered by
Pete Lyman at Infrasonic Sound.
 
Malefic: guitars, drums, inhuman drums, bass, vocals,
voices, keyboards and cello.
 
cd I:
 1. Soulless Elegy
 2. Purgatory Spiral
 3. Cemetery Of Shattered Masks
 4. Malignant Prophecy
 5. Oration Of Ruin
 6. Legacy Of Human Irrelevance
 7. Dehumanizing Procession
 8. Funerals Drenched In Apathy
 9. Warship (The War Against) Yourself
10. A Memorial To The Waste Of  Life
11. The Only Blood That Pours Is Yours
12. Unblessed Be
 
cd2:
1. Untitled/Unreleased
2.Untitled/Unreleased
3. Morder Gjengklang Av Tankegangen
4. Funerals Drenched In Apathy/Souless Elegy(First Attempt)
5. Awakening To The Unknown Perception of Evil(Second Attempt)
 
Xasthur official: http://xasthur.mercurous.net
official myspace: http://www.myspace.com/xasthurwithin
Hydra Head Records: http://www.bluecollardistro.com/hydrahead
Daymare Records (2 cd import): http://inoxia-rec.com