Yogsothery - Gate I: Chaosmogonic Rituals of Fear (2010)

Now this is a tremendous idea. Take the timeless works of H.P. Lovecraft in his 'Mythos' continuum, seek out four bands who might best be able to interpret the cosmic and obscure horrors within, have them each draft up an immersive, lengthy composition in tribute, and release as a single compilation. Rinse and repeat. Extreme metal is a genre loaded with split albums, EPs and demos, but I can't help but feel that Yogsothery is something more, something we've all been waiting for, and a truly positive use of the 'various artists' format, even if the overtures created by its dense lattice of horrific vibrations and haunted elsewheres could never be called 'positive' by any definition outside of great Chtulhu's swishy vocabulary.

Of the four bands signed up to have their minds bled out through such a ghastly tribute, three here are Finnish. Jääportit is a male/female duo who delve into atmospheric electronica, and their contribution here is "Kuihtuman Henkivi", a 25+ minute piece that cycles from tranquil, swelling ambiance to a sanity razing curtain of turbulence, cosmic horror erupting through strident and frightening retro synthesizer pads, before a lengthy 8-10 passage in which the song devolves back into sadistic but fulfilling tones. If you were somehow transported through space and time to the home dimension of the Big Squid, this might be the background music. Related acts Umbra Nihil and Aarni both follow, with shorter composition (11-12 minutes) that introduce jangling doom guitars into the fray. Umbra Nihil's "Suur-Nikkurin Virsi" is the more fluid and accessible, all depressive and instrumental rock with a touch of electronic freakout that should please fans of the band's great Gnoia album, while Aarni is a lot stranger, with strange, sluggish and psychedelic chugging and synth waves worthy of old Dr. Who episodes or 70s space jazz.

Italians Caput LVIIIm, who I've never previously heard, bring up the rear with the droning, hideous space funeral doom of "Resurgent Atavism". This is perhaps the most ambitious piece on the album, nearing 30 minutes in length, but it carries this weight well, fully absorbing the victim into the swells of extraplanar dread and might that would be likely if such grim tidings of H.P.'s sad, incomprehensible future should come to pass. There are some buried snarls in there, ritual indulgences of some pathetic soul given to its fate. Oddly enough, all four of these acts seem to fit well together here, with Umbra Nihil and Aarni sharing a bit more co-dependence than the rest (Markus Marjomaa is involved in both). It would be difficult to pick a particular favorite, since they all do their job effectively in driving the listener into a lucid state of terror, but I did enjoy the more freakish electro sounds in Jääportit and Aarni than the doom riffs. That said, this is such a colossal undertaking that I wish ATMF some success in bringing out future volumes, and hope that it will continue to attract this level of artist.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

Umbra Nihil - The Borderland Rituals (2008)

Since their excellent debut Gnoia a few years ago, I had been eagerly awaiting the next doom opus from one of Finland's weirdest bands. I have to say, while I couldn't get into this nearly as much as that earlier work, it's still an interesting piece which strips the form to its roots, re-visiting the psychedelia from which the prototype doom (and arguably all of metal) sprung forth.

There are only five tracks here, but a few of them are on the length side. "Welcome to the Borderlands" is a slow, psychedelic piece alternating sparse, spacious riffing with Vilpir's manly and creepy vocal slug crawling. By the end it picks up with a simplistic, heavier riff accompanied by highly fuzzy bass. "Open the Gate" takes a simple, twining, mystical riff with a folkish feel to it and drives it into a cradle of despair. "Leaving the Body" is a short song for this band at just about 3 minutes, starts off as an instrumental but the vocals come in half way through, while "Sea of Sleep" is a delicate but immersive instrumental with tinny leads and effective atmosphere. The closing track "The Sign of Death" is the album's longest, over 14 minutes, and easily the most powerful thing here. When he starts crooning the 'chorus' like sections over those evil as fuck riffs, and you can hear the slight use of the keyboard to accent the sorrow and grim majesty of the song, it's just magic.

The mix on the album is very simple and organic, they could be playing this live right in your living room. The instruments all sound great. The drums may seem a little thin but it feels intentional. In the end this is not as good as Gnoia but if you're a fan of avant-garde or 70s doom rock/metal then you should at least check it out for it's magnum opus, "The Sign of Death", which'll do almost any old Sabbath or Pentagram lover good.

Verdict: Win [7/10]

http://www.umbranihil.net/