Review by Trevor Proctor.
Chile has a fierce and unparalleled worldwide reputation for underground music with some of the greatest bands and music originating there over many recent decades. One band that has significantly contributed to this reputation and output is Unaussprechlichen Kulten. For close to twenty years they have been bringing us some exceptional music, from their early demos, to various split releases, to their previous three albums, their support has been growing steadily and they are definitely a band that all fans of Death Metal should be aware of.
Their most recent album was 2014’s exceptional ‘Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath’ which brought the band a lot of praise and attention from across the globe, including at The Lair of Filth where it was reviewed here, an album so good it was placed at eight in my Top Twenty Albums listing for 2014.
‘Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath’ was followed in 2015 by a compilation entitled ‘The Hooded Baphomet’ which featured one new track, ‘Madness From The Sea (Creatura Aquae Part 2)’ along with a selection of previous album, demo and split tracks.
This in turn was followed in June 2015 by a CD entitled ‘Demo Rehearsal’ which was released by Ablaze Productions and featured a full demo rehearsal of Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s debut album ‘Wake Up in the Night of Walpurgis.’
October 2015 saw the band release a 7” split EP which they shared with fellow Chilean heavyweights Pentagram, the split featured two new tracks from Unaussprechlichen Kulten. This is an exceptional 7” split and was reviewed very favourably here and also featured at number four on my top 25 Singles, EP's and Demo listing for 2015.
From October 2015 until now Unaussprechlichen Kulten released no further music but this is set to change on the 2nd of June when Iron Bonehead Productions will release Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s fourth album ‘Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X)’ on CD and vinyl.
‘Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X)’ was produced by Pablo Clares who’s the current drummer with Chilean bands Hades Archer, Athanatos, Regnant and Sheolgeenna. Pablo also has extensive experience in the studio, working with numerous bands in the past including Force of Darkness, Slaughtbbath, Mortem and Unaussprechlichen Kulten who he has worked with on five previous occasions prior to this album.
Anticipation and expectations around this album are high as, especially in recent years, this is a band that has constantly honed and improved their music, using the very solid base of their excellent early demos to build upon. Across their extensive back catalogue Unaussprechlichen Kulten has explored lyrical themes of ancient mysticism and the world of H.P.Lovecraft mixed with raw and powerful fear via their strong and authentic Death Metal but now the band is set to surpass their previous glories with Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X).
Opener, ‘Unholy Abjuration of Faith’ begins with a short piano and violin intro but this relative calm is short lived as Unaussprechlichen Kulten drags us into the depths with their Chilean Death Metal. The drumming and exceptional guitar work are the first things that catch your attention. The guitarists work exceptionally well together with riff after riff coming at us from all directions coupled with some lethal solo work throughout this, and all tracks on the album, the placement of these solo sections has no predictable pattern and this unpredictability adds to the feral nature of their sound. The pace during Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X) is mid-high with many frenetic sections throughout with the main conductor of this pace being Butcher of Christ who delivers some phenomenal drumming. The production during the album is also superior to most, nothing too polished or clinical, yet neither too murky and all input from all band members is easily audible.
The most recent addition to the band is bass player, Namru Impetradorum Mortem, who joined in 2014 and has played on all releases from their last album, ‘Baphomet Pan Shub-Niggurath’ onwards and contributes significantly to this death Metal masterclass and, as always, vocalist and guitarist Joseph Curwen delivers a typically strong and steady vocal performance.
The execution is note perfect from beginning to end, with no filler tracks, I see Unaussprechlichen Kulten as one of the underground’s most talented groups and this album should bring them more fans and praise than ever before.
Another advantage with this album is its duration; Unaussprechlichen Kulten’s previous three albums lasted, on average, twenty seven minutes each but Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X) lasts well over thirty eight minutes.
The album also boasts the band’s longest track to date; the stunning ‘Firma el libro de la muerte,’ which lasts seven and a half minutes and is a masterclass in Death Metal. As stated, from their beginning in 1999 Unaussprechlichen Kulten have brought us nothing but quality and with Keziah Lilith Medea (Chapter X) they have raised the bar higher than ever before – if you’re not a fan of this band it’s essential you give them a listen - 'Sabbatical Offering' is available to stream below.
Lethal album from one of Chile's finest bands 10/10.
Tracklist:
01 - Unholy Abjuration of Faith
02 - The Woman, the Devil and God's Permit
03 - Dentro del círculo
04 - Firma el libro de la muerte
05 - Sacrificio infanticida
06 - Sabbatical Offering
07 - The Mark of the Devil
08 - Lujuria carnal con incubos.
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