siLLy puPPy
ENCENATHRAKH, the supergroup brutal death metal project of Paulo Henri Paguntalan [aka Vito] (vocals, guitar), Mick Barr [aka Rick] (guitar), Colin Marston [aka Nigel] (bass, guitar) and Weasel Walter [aka Coward] (drums) may have seemed like a one-off with its 2015 self-titled debut but despite the gazillion main and side projects of these prolific angsty musicians, it became clear that this one was a regular gig with the band’s second release THRAAKETHRAAEATE THRAITHRAAKE.
It took five years to get it out but it pretty much follows in the footsteps of the debut with a relentless pummeling style of technically charged brutal death metal enshrouded in dissonance and avent-garde mindfuc.kery. The longest album of these crazed noisemakers, the double T album features eleven tracks at almost 43 minutes. In many ways it’s business as usual but when killing is your business sometimes a group of blood thirsty crazed madmen are in it for the sport than for any other reason so i’m sure they don’t care if anyone likes this or not.
This is what i call extreme noise metal. It’s like Walter’s Flying Luttenbachers on speed, caffeine and crystal meth with ridiculously fast tempos pummeling your senses away like a jackhammer in downtown Manhattan. Formless swarms of guitar riffs flap around like a crazed exaltation of larks aimlessly flying en masse in gloomy skies and deep guttural growls and pig squeals that sounds as if Satan himself has some digestive issues. Add to that incessant brutal time signature changes and all together you simultaneously have both the most brutal metal possible along with the most obnoxiously hostile prog.
Just like the debut, this one is forced chaos exclusively for its own sake. There are a few moments of dark ambience serving as intros on a few tracks so it does let up for fleeting moments but even then everything is designed to be as jarring as musically possible and the effect is like a warehouse of TNT blowing up in the middle of a wartime battlefield scene with blood and body parts flying around in every direction.
Even most metalheads will hate this. Think of the extreme avant-death metal version of Psyopus or Behold….The Arctopus and you’re on the right track. I can’t say this is a band i revisit often but when the mood strikes for something that’s unapologetically obnoxious then how can you got wrong with the most proggy fueled brutal death metal possible with the constructs of freeform jazz. Definitely a fun and wild ride but too much exposure will rot your soul and make your head explode. For those special moments only.