Written: 7th December 2024
In the labyrinthine and sometimes repetitive soundscapes of technical death metal, Misanthropy are certainly aiming for something a little different. With both relentless brutality and intricate musicianship, their pummelling monolithic force is a delicate balance between sheer auditory assault and technical proficiency. As such, The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance delivers an experience that is as intellectually stimulating as it is viscerally punishing.
On opening track Of Sulking and the Wrathful, we are immediately submerged in a seemingly never ending sonic chasm. The vocals, which exude an abyssal profundity that borders on the demonic, are a defining feature of the album. Not just growls, they are a thick molasses-like entity of their own that seeps into every crevice of the music during which vocalist Kevin Kovalsky is a part. A vivid exploration of existential despair, eternal punishment and rage, the track introduces the thematic framework of the album. The ever-crushing weight of stagnance / Another futile battle / The River Styx, in all its blackness / Suffocates all that reside. There are moments when the weight of the riffs step back – such as during the restless but compelling guitar solo - but this is merely relative to the utterly monstrous guitar that precedes and follows it. Lethal, primal and cavernous in both structure and character, it is a ferocious beginning to the album.
If anything, The All-Devouring steps up the technical aspects of the band’s performance as riffs gyrate and convolute within serpentine dexterity. Changes in time signatures and scintillating fretwork coupled with solos that transcend mere exhibitions of velocity, the band craft meticulous but bludgeoning and savage rhythmic adventures. Bassist Mark Bojkewycz and drummer Paul Reszcznyski are perfectly synchronised, pummelling both here and on the unforgiving A Cure For Pestilence during which Kovalsky’s vocals vary with gutturals, screams and even a venomous blegh!
Despite the mauling that Misanthropy inflict, there are progressive aspects to their music, as is a little more apparent on Condemned To A Nameless Tomb. A percussive juggernaut of a song, it brooks little respite with its blast beats, which are executed with automaton-like precision. Yet, there exists an evil organic quality that keeps the band from becoming sterile. The use of polyrhythms and syncopation add to the album’s technical credentials making it as unpredictable as it is unyielding. Lyrically, the track paints a grim and harrowing portrait of the horrors of war, particularly the dehumanising experiences of soldiers in the trenches. It nightmarishly underscores the grotesque and macabre reality of the battlefield, where death and mutilation are omnipresent. The still daybreak broken by artillery / Over the top, into the mouth of hell / Bayonets skewer and maim the living / Into disembowelled disasters once resembling men.
Descent sees the quartet allowing themselves short segments during which they can experiment with their sound. It begins rapid fire and concussive like the previous tracks but twenty seconds in, the volcanic rhythms peel away leaving, a solitary guitar reaching for notes as if searching in the pitch black. After a further twenty five seconds, the rest of the band return with steadier, more deliberate pacing which shakes the Earth like an immense ogre crossing a barren landscape. Halfway through, the song takes another turn but as listeners, we can do nothing but be carried along, the vocals reaching an almost asphyxiating density.
Penultimate track Sepulcher is callous and remorseless throughout and despite the theme of stagnation, the music never succumbs to stasis. There is a sense of perpetual evolution that ensures the listener cannot escape. Despite the immense weight of almost every single moment, the production allows each instrument to be heard whether Misanthropy are decimating or laying down tenebrous grooves. The album ends with Consumed By The Abyss which takes the form of a rampaging Hadean sludge like death metal odyssey with the guitars of Kovalsky and José Valles vicious in their permeating ferocity.
The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance is not an album for the faint of heart. It is a ruthless, battering experience that demands the listener’s full attention, challenging us with its technical complexity and thematic weight. Yet, for those willing to immerse themselves in its depths, it offers a rewarding experience, combining speed and brutality with a sense of artistry and intellectual insight.
The Ever-Crushing Weight of Stagnance is released on 13th December 2024
Misanthropy Online