TYPHONIAN – THE GATE OF THE VEILED BEYOND

(Come and learn why the new album from Typhonian, out Friday on Transcending Obscurity, has reaffirmed Andy Synn‘s love for Death Metal)

Do I like Death Metal?

It seems like a pretty dumb question – I mean, I’ve toured with Hour of Penance, Blood Red Throne, The Monolith Deathcult, opened for Cryptopsy, Mithras, Darkane, and more – so of course I do!

But I get where people are coming from when they ask this question, because when it comes to many of the current “big” bands in the Death Metal scene… well, I’ve generally been a little more guarded with when, where, and how I dole out praise than a lot of other writers.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve thrown a lot of love at artists like Tomb Mold, Ulthar, and Bæst, and am eagerly awaiting new albums from both Tribal Gaze and Ingurgitating Oblivion (though, spoiler alert, I’ve already heard the latter and will be reviewing it later this month), but I can’t help but feel like a lot of the more notorious names are playing it far too safe, happy to regurgitate the same recycled riffs and second-hand song ideas with only the most minor of variations (if any), because they know their audience will eat it up anyway.

Luckily, for every derivative disappointment that comes across my desk there’s almost always someone else doing something a little bit more interesting (to me anyway) – and while it was Typhonian‘s previous album (which you can, and should, read more about here) which initially piqued my curiosity, with The Gate of the Veiled Beyond they’ve really grabbed my attention.

Let me be clear – I’m not claiming that what Typhonian are doing here is totally unique or boundary-breaking (though they’ve clearly got ambitions to be more than just another modern OSDM tribute act).

But considering the main well of “Old School” inspiration feels like it’s running pretty dry these days the simple fact that the Germans are drawing from a slightly different source – one that’s been richly fed more by the likes of classic Dismember, early Hypocrisy, pre-Slaughter… At The Gates and (especially in the album’s second half) Edge of Sanity – already makes their sound a little more refreshing.

Couple that with the fact that a) they aren’t afraid to bring these references a little more up to date (without trying to jump on any particular trend/s), and b) they have a knack for penning some absolutely killer riffs and merciless melodic hooks (their use of melody, including some subtle synth work, playing a vital role in conjuring the album’s devilishly dark atmosphere without detracting from its raw, deathly power) and it’s clear that the German quintet have got a real recipe for success on their hands.

The album’s quality is immediately on display during opener “Cosmic Throne” (disposable instrumental intro “Celestial Salvation” being mostly skippable) whose razor-sharp tremolo riffs, hypnotic melodies, and overall ominous vibe – replete with splashes of sombre synths and a morbidly infectious chorus refrain which marries morbid weight and whispered menace to great effect – quickly set the tone for the rest of the record.

Continuing to channel the sinister spirit, while updating the sonic style, of iconic albums like Massive Killing Capacity, Abducted, and With Fear I Kiss the Burning Darkness, the gloomy-heavy grooves and bleak, blackened majesty of “Primal Deceptive Light” and the biting “Crimson Rivers” further showcase the band’s penchant for penning bitter, biting riffs, piercing lead guitar parts, and primal, yet powerful, choruses… but it’s not until the second half of the album that you really get to hear what Typhonian are capable of.

It’s a subtle shift, that’s for sure, but the grim grandeur of the likes of “The Gatekeeper” – seven minutes of booming, bombastic guitars, moody, mesmerising melodies, and teasingly proggy twists – the rapid, shred-happy (and Terminal Spirit Disease-esque) “Towards the Chamber of the Omnipresent Mind”, and the brooding, atmosphere-dense “A Glimpse at the Starless Ocean” are all reminiscent of the more ambitious, larger-than-life approach of bands like Sulphur Aeon and/or Chapel of Disease (the former especially)… suggesting that whatever they’re putting in the water in Germany these days is definitely working).

It’s the album’s phenomenal finale, however, which truly reveals how much Typhonian have grown – both in terms of their musical and compositional talents and their growing ambition to stand out from the pack – as they unleash their inner Edge of Sanity (and even some of their inner King Crimson) over the course of just under twenty minutes of electric, and eclectic, Prog Death that draws together fire-breathing ferocity, blast-driven Black Metal majesty, and desolate, doom-laden atmospherics and then laces them with an almost lethal dose of captivating, cathartic melody (including some unexpected, but utterly unforgettable, clean vocals in its second half) to create something which, truth be told, is pretty much worth the entire price of the album all on its own.

Sure, it won’t be for everyone (if you’re looking for simplistic, caveman stomp mosh-fodder then this definitely won’t be for you, in fact) but if you’ve been searching for something that’s undeniably, and unapologetically, Death Metal, but which doesn’t feel hemmed in creatively either by the weight of its influences or the expectations of its listeners (and is all the stronger for it)… something which dares to step a little bit off the beaten path while still paying tribute, in style, to those who have gone before… then The Gate of the Veiled Beyond is an album you need to hear.