AN NCS PREMIERE: CONSTRUCT OF LETHE — “ROT OF AUGURY”

 

The 1898 painting by Adolf Hirémy-Hirschl that Construct of Lethe chose for their intense new album, Exiler, was an inspired selection. It depicts Hermes Necropompos on the banks of the Acheron, the “river of woe”, conducting the shades of the dead from the upper to the lower world and their rendezvous with the boatman Charon. You gaze upon this work, and you can imagine the beseeching cries of the newly dead, hoping for some reprieve from their fate, anguished at the thought of leaving the lives they knew. But the god inexorably walks on among them, perhaps not entirely immune to those chaotic cries of pain and terror as these souls see the boatman approach, but nevertheless determined to shepherd them to their eternal doom.

And like the painting (a complete version of which you can view here), the music of Exiler summons chaos, doom, terrible grandeur, and the eeriness of a subterranean realm terrifyingly different from the sunlit plane of existence in the world above. Or to put it more plainly, it’s a head-spinning brand of death metal that succeeds in creating ominous and otherworldly atmosphere while also putting megawatt jolts of power straight into your spine.

One riveting track from Exiler (“The Clot”) has already been revealed via Toilet Ov Hell, and we’ve got another one for you today in advance of the album’s release by Everlasting Spew on June 20th.

 

 

“Rot of Augury” is Exiler’s opening track, and it provides a bracing introduction to the band’s ever-changing and persistently unnerving attack. The track’s intro section wastes no time creating an oppressive and disturbing aura with heavy bass clanging, shrill notes that put your teeth on edge, and fusillades of blazing drum fills (the work of Benighted’s Kévin Paradis is eye-popping throughout the album). Chaos reigns as the band open up the throttle, delivering blaring, swarming, shrieking guitar dissonance accompanied by vicious, predatory growls and roars.

There are slashing and stomping riffs in the song as well, along with tones like moaning chimes over a martial rhythmic pattern — plus a pair of striking solos, one that writhes and swirls like preternatural fire and another that’s warped and squalling. “Head-spinning” really is an accurate way of characterizing the experience of “Rot of Augury” — but it’s undeniably as dark as Tartarus too.

 

Everlasting Spew Records recommends Exiler for fans of Morbid Angel (F-G era), Ulcerate, Immolation, and Altars. The album will be released on June 20 in CD and digital formats. The album includes guest vocals by Enrico H. Di Lorenzo (Hideous Divinity) on “Terraces Of Purgation” and interior artwork-selections from “La Grande Bible Detours” by Gustave Doré (1866).

Enjoy “Rot of Augury” below, and if you let the player continue to run, you can also check out “The Clot” in case you missed it.

LINE-UP:
Dave Schmidt – Vocals
Tony Petrocelly – Guitars, Bass
Patrick Bonvin – Lead Guitar
Kévin Paradis – Drums

Pre-order:
https://everlastingspewrecords.bandcamp.com/album/exiler
https://everlastingspew.com/everlasting-spew/4221–pre-order-construct-of-lethe-exiler-cd.html

Construct of Lethe on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/constructoflethe/