The Yog-Sothoth Entity
Do you have
enemies? Musical enemies? Or anyone you really don’t like? If yes, play them
this stuff. These four songs are exquisite weapon against the crowd. The other
matter is that this tape (can you believe it, I have still this tape and it
looks quite good in spite over twenty years!) is very hard to digest even for
typical metal fan and I can imagine his astonishment and question: “is it
metal?”. All right, to all concerned I asseverate that Thergothon is a real
metal band. What is more, Finns are considered as one of the first bands
playing very specific modification of doom, namely funeral doom. I bought it in
1992 and I remember my shock after first seconds of “Elemental” song.
Thergothon was bathing in very, very slow tempos, and I was sure that even
Candlemass was playing speed metal when compared to “Fhtagn-nagh Yog-Sothoth”.
When “Elemental”
opens the gate to these sick, deranged and crude invocations, the putrid smell
of deep metal underground is perceptible. The music itself seems to be archaic
and behind the times (or aeons to be more precise), for sure such kind of
production is a rare phenomenon nowadays, but I still love it. Lyrics refer
strictly to Lovecraft mythology (see title), and I can write that reading some
works of this author during listening to this demo is a really unique feeling… This
stuff consists of four tracks, three of them are longer (about seven
excruciating minutes), but last one “The Twilight Fade” is hardly two minute
monster unfortunately. All of them are very slow, just like it was mentioned
above, and only in “Elemental” there are some speedups, but do not get me
wrong, ‘speed’ is improper word here, simply the drummer hits his instrument
two times per minute he, he... “Elemental” has also clean yet very enjoyable
vocals, but something has to be said about lead vocals. I find some
similarities to Demilich vocals (“Nespithe” era and earlier times), but
Thergothon has also its own death charm: totally gloomy and sepulchral
exhalements straight out from R’lyeh catacombs, completely not to be accepted
by ‘typical’ metal fans. Fortunately I’m not ‘typical’, and worship this stuff
a lot, but this is rather sick feeling, don’t you think?
Riffs… yes,
I wonder what word can precisely describe the sounds that flow in the air.
Monumental? Megalithic? Overwhelming? Man, hard to choose. In extraordinary way
Finns can create fuggy, ominous atmosphere only by guitars, and this is what I
like most, no keyboard passages or other crazy samples, nevertheless there are
many bizarre quasi-melodious guitar works. The sinister moments haunt the
senses during “Evoken” too, when only vocals and drums are on the stage, really
memorable musical shades. In this song there are some keyboard lines,
well-marked yet rather symbolic. In turn the third opus “Yet the Watchers
Guard” is the slowest one in my opinion, and the last track is too short (but
this is an allowable defect) and unintentionally I rewind my tape to the start.
“Elemental” opens its vault once again…
This tape
has a special place in my metal collection, to date I remember my feelings
during the first listening to “Fhtagn-nagh Yog-Sothoth”. So if you want to find
something original remembering about old days, if you like so-called ‘climatic’
metal but with no stupid keyboard or female lamentations, check this record
immediately out, it won’t kill you to musical death by slow tempo and surely,
just like me, you will forget about this world. Conjointly with Lovecraft’s
prose it builds another unknown dimension, much beyond our senses and mind,
beyond time and life. It’s up to you if you will dare to cross the threshold…
I dared…
93/100
-Tlacaxipehualiztli
(previously written for Encyclopaedia Metallum, on July, 2012, now modified a bit)
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