QRIXKUOR — Zoetrope (review)

EP · 2022 · Death Metal

5/5 · 2022-12-29
siLLy puPPy

Proof that experimental extreme metal is the new prog of the 21st century, the London based QRIXKUOR has taken the underworld by storm in recent years with a series of innovative monstrous releases that continue to push the bar in terms of both complexity and innovation. Following last year’s “Poison Palinopsia,” this mere duo of S (vocals, guitars, bass) and D (drums) is back with a larger than life single track experience titled ZOETROPE.

While the EP is titled ZOETROPE, the single track features a lengthier syllabic soup of “Zoetrope (Psychospiritual Sparagmos)” and clocks in at just under 25 minutes. This vicious beast of a musical experience was released by both Invictus Productions and Dark Descent Records. The word ZOETROPE refers to a Victorian mechanical device that produces the illusion of animation by peeking through a hole of a cylindrical version of a phenakistiscope while various images rush by.

While tagged as technical death metal, black metal or progressive metal, QRIXKUOR is what i have come to refer to as astral abyss metal as band lead S seems to have the power to summon sonic demons from parallel dimensions and despite the pummeling military drumming assaults and droning guitar feedback fuzz utilizes symphonic 20th century classical ambience in order to craft a hypnotic effect that allows the listener to simply go along for the ride in a pacified pummeled state if you will.

QRIXKUOR is part of a new metal world where the extremes of worlds of death metal, black metal and doom metal have been alchemized into a new uglier Frankenstein of sonic terror that features an underpinning of divine beauty behind the decibel swarms of dissonant distortion. While only a mere track, ZOETROPE delivers a full album experience with a tone setting opening that slowly morphs droning guitars and swirling ambience into a ferocious assault of blackened death metal orotundity.

The track evolves into a complex array of extreme metal pummeling over 20th century avant-garde classical music compositional fortitude and at times when the symphonic elements are firing on all pistons does remind a bit of symphonic death metal bands such as Fleshgod Apocalypse or even Septicflesh. The difference is that QRIXKUOR doesn’t deliver short and catchy melodic compositions but rather glacial movements of ever-changing musical motifs that subtly ratchet up the tortuous tale like the animated device of the release’s namesake.

The metal angst completely drops out half way through and the classical elements are allowed to dominate the show for a while. This allows some palette cleansing and offers an insight into the true underpinnings of QRIXKUOR’s overarching plan of action which would be to display a classical music score completely decorated with extreme metal clothing. More modern metal bands have adopted this same approach with bands like Ad Nauseam, Abyssal, Coma Cluster Void and Ulcerate upping the complexity and inaccessibility factor of the metal universe with each subsequent release.

All in all ZOETROPE is a masterpiece of modern metal with an organic flow of violent noise channeled into patterns of sound that somehow emulate an episode of astral attacks from the demonic realm. Horror metal in the metaphysical world, the stuff that would give sorcerer’s psychological scars with never-ending nightmares for eternity. QRIXKUOR proves with ZOETROPE that his is no flash in the pan sort of musical act. The consistent growth and maturity continues to propel metal into the realms of the most sophisticated world of classical and progressive arenas of the musical world. To my ears, ZOETROPE is sheer perfection on multiple levels. QRIXKUOR has quickly become one of my favorite extreme bands of recent years.