By the Dark Lord and his glowing trident. This is the week of Black and Death Metal hybrids. The RMR crew just reviewed one – and it wasn’t all that pretty. It is difficult to sync both styles and not kill the essence of the record in the process.
Thus, along come Gravefields‘ Tetragrammaton. Yet another outfit with a band logo straight from the shrubbery in my backyard. Question is, though, will these transcontinental boys fare better than their German brethren? Let’s step right into the brawl. Measuring sticks out, this is gonna be hot as hell.
Ah, the Tetragrammaton, that annoying four-letter depiction of a god.1 Other Extreme Metal bands already used that one in their theme for their satanic means. But here, Gravefields blasphemously use it to describe another imaginary religion, a blast from the past that will roar on in devilish beauty until the planet’s demise. Or something. Funky, huh? We thought so, too.
But, let’s face it. A sturdy storyline makes for good records, and this one is no different. The whole piece is an ode to the versatility of Death Metal and the brimstone-fueled merciless power of Black Metal. Right off the bat, the band goes on the assault with meaty riffs, burly solos, thundering blast beats, and powerful harsh vocals. Tetragrammaton effortlessly weaves about both styles with powerful tremolos and typical raspy Black Metal goodness. Just to roll down into the pit and meet your Death Metal counterpart with its typical growls and meaty riffing.
Now, on a production done strictly at a barebone level, this would spell disaster for such a record. But Gravefields here injected enough melody and atmosphere to save the day. Not to forget the shamanesque humming that suddenly appears or the pained doom-laden shouting. And that turns much of what’s on display here into some sort of crazed Melodic Death Metal from the underworld. A devilish lucid dream the folks over at Insomnium may have sometimes but would never dare write on a note sheet. One that’s garnished with enough blackened elements to please the daemon without going there outright. A truly artful symbiosis of Brutal Death Metal and Black Metal from the pit.
This makes Tetragrammaton sport grandiose soundscapes that soar high above the fires of the pits of hell. A powerful and – I daresay – emotive depiction of the storyline that is imbued with enough mysticism to please the adepts of the occult. But it is the raw brutality, the red-hot, meaty riffing, those solos from hell that suddenly appear. And all this takes on steam as the record progresses into ever more psychedelic and chaotic realms.
That said, the RMR crew had at times difficulties finding those juicy hooks that prevent the metal mind from wandering elsewhere. The record’s also prone to repetitious patterns that will ever return with a slightly different flavor added to it. In addition, the overly dense production often creates a mighty wall of sound that risks losing elements in the fray. Now, whilst all that critique might sound harsh, it is – after all – small potatoes.
Because in the end, Tetragrammaton brought us the juicy symbiosis of Death and Black Metal we craved. Gravefields‘ lithe switching from death to black made us sit up in awe a few times. But don’t believe me, go ahead and check out Pilgrims Of Amirah for guidance. The record’s raw power, its intricate yet meaty riff patterns with its melodic injections, and the tag-team-type of ferocious and brutal clear voice vocals really sold us. This created a red-hot amalgamation of different styles that the RMR folks over here returned to a few times too many. And that – I guess – is the proverbial proof of the pudding that these two genres can – indeed – mix.
Ferociously so.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Satanath Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 29 June 2023
- Fancy a definition? Check Wikipedia | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton.-↩