I know we (well mainly me actually) make the occasional quip about receiving the new soundtrack to the apocalypse but fuck me has it not got even more real over the last couple of weeks? No need to elaborate, I’m sure nobody is living under a rock apart from perhaps the contestants of Big Brother Germany who don’t know about the implications of Coronavirus apparently….but. Yep, this is certainly a very suitable listening experience for right now. Being part of the Helvetic Underground Committee, one should be aware that this anonymous entity is one to take very seriously indeed. Although missing its predecessor a couple of years ago this should not deter anyone from blasting out this terrifying black death requiem mass from their shelters and should anyone complain you can just cough at them anyway. Divided into 4 parts with breathing space in the form of chanting liturgical ambience between, the track titles are represented by dashes in some form of alien Morse Code. As this plays continuously that is kind of a moot point but let’s step into the chasmic void without further ado.

Horrifying dense doom billows out the speakers as soon as play is pressed. Snares clash, roars and sulphur are exuded and its totally ghastly in all the right ways. It sounds really thick and far from hollow although one can imagine it being played in a vast underground cavern far below the earth’s crust. But wait, the first eerie passage is not far away and neither are necromantic croaks before the seismic mass shifts into heaving revolt once more. The fracking churn and mesmeric quality is a bit reminiscent of the likes of Oranssi Pazuzu and there is an incredibly ritualistic feel especially as the first bridge devolves into clean and fragrant vocal chants. As we slowly rumble back to life again and the crushing firmament solidifies one might be taken aback at actual operatic vocals being squeezed out of the skewed dissonant upheaval. Sinister groans, craggy screams and everything in between seem to be the atmospheric pitch of this particular cloaked (no doubt) ghoul and it’s both highly effective and disconcerting. In fact, after all these ‘shit the bed’ jump scares the ambience although sinister does allow a bit of gently haunted relief before it all gets downright malevolent again.

As the 43-minute runtime continues and drums hammer hewing granite like fury over the bedrock and austere vocal peaks are hit, lovers of disharmonic cacophonies from outfits such as DsO and BaN should be in their element here. The rest will long since have taken the easy option of leaving planet earth by own hands rather than having to subject themselves to more of this.  Some may consider there is enough chaos in the world at the moment and not be willing to undertake more. As we linger in the stifling, claustrophobic and horrendous abyss crafted by the final segment this could well be the sound of the end of music, it could well be the sound of the end of everything!

(8/10 Pete Woods)

https://deathvoidterror.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-great-monolith-ii