Steven Beaumont: Lone Wanderer

From the sub-zero temperatures of Québec hails Steven Beaumont, the head honcho behind Paracelsian Productions, Metzger Dark Ambient and Kondensator. With Metzger, Steven constructs darkened guitar drones that carry away the listener’s mind on an unruffled cloud. Regularly posting his MDA studio experiments onto Youtube showing Beaumont surrounded by a wall of amplifiers and the floor strewn with enough pedals to open his own store! Still in it’s formative stages, side project Kondensator allows Beaumont to put down the guitar for a while and stretch his synth-scape legs to take you on more of an ambient, beat-driven ride.

The debut MDA album ‘Neo Romantic Synthesised Era’ dropped last March, and I definitely recommend it if you want to wash away any negative energy clinging to your soul. Like slowly gliding through the darkest of tunnels only to emerge smoothly into the sunlight. Listen Below:

DMD: What artists/bands had a major influence on you growing up and what bands influence you today?

Steven Beaumont: The first bands I listened to were Judas Priest and Iron Maiden when I was 16. But one of my main influences since 10 years has been Meads of Asphodel, who are one of my favorite bands of all time. Nowadays, the bands influencing me on the Prog Metal side of things are: Periphery & Animals as Leaders and on the Ambient/Industrial side my influences are: Kammarheit, Raison d'Etre, Brighter Death Now & Beyond Sensory Experience.

DMD: What music/bands were you playing in before you ended up making dark ambient/drone and experimental synth-scapes?

SB: I was playing Metal before but never had a band or anything, I wanted to start my own one man prog metal band but I've decided to go 100% into ambient experimental stuff.

DMD: How long have you been playing in your projects Metzger and Kondensator?

SB: I Started Metzger Dark Ambient in 2013, but only since 2015 the music has been made using Guitar experimentation. I started Kondensator almost a month ago on the first of June 2016.

DMD: Walk us through your studio recording set up from when you started to now.

SB: When I started I only had my audio interface and at that time I was carrying my desktop computer to the rehearsal room I was sharing with another Band. Now I have my own rehearsal room for myself which I use as my recording studio. I got a new audio interface, and a laptop computer which stays there now, also now I have 2 vintage mixing consoles one from the 70's and one from the 80's. At the moment I own 9 microphones.

DMD: What was the first pedal you ever got? & What are your favourite pedals to use out of your enormous collection?

SB: Back in the day, my first pedal was the Boss Metalzone. Some pedals I had almost 10 years ago I wish I had never sold, for example the Budda Zenman (Tube Overdrive). My favorite pedal is the Superego which is the most important one of my collection. I really like my Line 6 FM4, that one was a game changer for me. But probably the pedal which really pushed my sounds to another level is my Eventide Mod Factor, there is nothing that compares to this thing.

DMD: How did you come by the names Metzger and Kondensator and what do they mean to you?

SB: For Metzger I took from a character from Fallout 2, who basically was an evil character and I had the idea for the logo with the inverted cross and everything. I also found out that “Metzger” means Butcher in german, all these reasons lead to me choosing this name. Kondensator is the name of a Soviet weapon from WW2, I thought it would sound cool, so I decided to use that as my name for this new project, I had other ideas but I will keep them for future projects.

DMD: What is the concept behind your debut album with Metzger: Neo Romantic Synthesised Era?

SB: I used this concept for a song back in early 2015 just before I made the transition to the Experimental Guitar stuff, to make music with Synthesizers and to be inspired from pictures from the Romantic Era. I took this concept back later when I was able to make the sounds I really wanted to make with the Guitar stuff, so for my first album I've gone back to this concept, actually most of my albums will be based around this concept.

DMD: Apart from music, where else do you get your inspiration?

SB: My main inspirations before were the first 3 Fallout games, I was really inspired by the whole universe of this game.

Steven's wall of amplifiers and pedal hoard

DMD: Are there any releases on Paracelsian Productions we should look out for in the future?

SB: Next month (in July) I should be releasing 2 split albums with Slave Existence & Agura Matra, they were on the first compilation from my Label. That should be interesting! There's compilation #2 in August featuring a lot of new people, I should be making another split album scheduled for around September or October with ZUMAIA. 

DMD: Which 10 Albums would you take to a Desert island?

SB: Animals as Leaders – Animals as Leaders

If these trees could talk – Red Forest

Volumes - Via

Nili Brosh – A Matter of Perception

Modern Day Babylon - Ocean

Periphery - Periphery

Polyphia - Renaissance

CHON – Newborn Sun

The Contortionist – Language

Intervals – The Shape of Colour

DMD: What is the music scene in Quebec like? Have you played live much with your projects?

SB: The music scene is alive here, there are so many shows. The Metal scene here is probably one of the strongest, at least compared to other genres. As for the music I play, it is very small but still there was maybe between 20 and 30 people at my first show, maybe it will grow bigger in the next few years, it’s not mainstream by any means but I think more and more people are getting into it. I have only played live once with my Metzger project, and I played a set specifically thought out for that show. I want to play more shows, hopefully I will get more opportunities. I would probably also play live with my other Project Kondensator.

DMD: Tell us about all the amplifiers you use for Metzger.

SB: I use many Tube Amplifiers from many brands, Tube amps seem to provide the sounds I am looking for and also by changing the tubes I can tweak the tones to my specifications. I use hybrid Bass amps for my Sub Octave tones for Bass Guitar, I recently started using Bass Guitar through Guitar heads too. All of my speaker cabinets have been upgraded with Pro Audio speakers chosen spec wise to fit the cabs they are in, they handle lower frequencies better, for the kind of sounds I make this is very important. They also tend to sound dark which is a good thing for me obviously, sometimes the Amplifiers tend to sound very bright so I use a darker sounding cabinet.

DMD: How long has Paracelsian Productions been active and how did it get the name?

SB: Paracelsian Productions is registered in Quebec city officially since December 2015, the first physical release was in January 2016, which was my first cassette EP. The name Paracelsian comes from Paracelsus who was an Alchemist from the 1500's, I read about him and was very inspired, 

I felt I could relate to his story in a way. I live by his motto “Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest” “Let no man belong to another who can belong to himself.” 

DMD: Do you find it hard to juggle having 2 projects and being the head of a music label?

SB: Not really, I usually record a batch of material for Metzger and then in between these recording sessions I have enough time to work on Kondensator stuff, that was mostly why I've decided to start this project right now. As for the label, I'm the only one artist on it for now, online sales of CDs are non-existent for now and I'm planning the releases months in advance. It would be best for me to play more shows to promote stuff from the label, maybe even start booking shows, but that is a lot of work too.

DMD: What synthesizers/software do you use for Kondensator?

SB: For Kondensator I use only real instruments, for now I am using an old Synth from the 90's called the “Orbit 9090 V2 The Dance Planet” by Emu Systems a company which doesn't exist anymore. I also use the Rhythm Wolf from Akai as my Drum Machine.

DMD: Anybody you want to give a shout out to?

SB: I wanna give a shout out to Janine Fortin, it's because of her I got to play my first show, I really like her music as well, you should definitely check it out. To Studio Sonum, without them I would never have been able to make these projects come true, so check out Marc the owner’s band: La Corriveau. Finally, my 2 favorite local music stores, I have made a few friends from each store, who really helped me even though they didn't always knew how to in my quest for experimental guitar sounds, but without their advice I would probably not be where I am today. Thanks to all the people from Musique Gagne et Freres & Denis Musique. 

Metzger official site

Paracelsian Productions official site

Sunshine Girl: The Silver Garden

Since the latter half of 2015, Kyle Trujillo has been wandering the labyrinthian fields of experimentality. After a string of self releases for his project ‘Sunshine Girl’ he elected to keep an experi-mindset but to sever his ties to the prolonged sound maps of old in favour of shorter, more focused material, whose songs reveal a greater intensity to the listener. Last March’s EP “Breathe Through Machines” demonstrated this new rebirth and the full album release of: “Everything is Real/Everything is not Real” (which came out in May on Splitting Sounds Records) took it even further. 

I caught up with the eighteen year old North American to pick his brains on cinema, literature and talk of another major change on the near horizon.…
Watch his music video for latest single ‘Observation’ (share on blogger button)

DMD: First off, how did you get the name Sunshine Girl?
Kyle Trujillo: Sunshine Girl comes from the song by Faust, "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl”.

DMD: How was the recent show? Do you have more of them planned for the future? Was that your very first SG show?
KT: The show didn't end up happening due to a booking error. I don't have anything else planned for the near future, but there's always time for that to change. I have performed as Sunshine Girl a couple times before, but this would have been the first that was more than a single song. High school performances. There will be another show sometime. I'll find one eventually.

DMD: What is the Orange County California music scene like? (for experimental music too)
KT: I'm not involved with much in the real world, though I heard recently there is a small noise scene working in this area.

DMD: Have you always lived in California?
KT: I was born in Texas, but have lived in California since I was very young.

DMD: What were the last couple of albums you listened to that really had an impact on you?
KT: I’ve been listening to a lot of Death Grips for the last couple months, so i think that's probably the most important records in my head right now. Especially The Powers That B and No Love Deep Web

DMD: Great stuff, I’m very late to the DG party only recently hearing Exmilitary, what an amazing time for music!
KT: Absolutely. I started there too. It's thrilling to consider what might come next.

DMD: Growing up, what music really inspired you to grab an instrument and start making a racket?
KT: I really don't know how I turned into such a freak with my music taste. I remember a little bit of Sonic Youth about two years ago and hearing the name Frank Zappa and then I leap forward to what I have now. I played trombone in elementary school then got a guitar in eighth grade. It all went downhill from there, though it started off mellow enough.

DMD: Since your first batch of releases how would you say the sound of SG has evolved over that period of time? Was there a turning point in your approach on a certain release?
KT: I think I've had three real points musically. The first was on the track ‘Two and a Half Rabbits’ from Three Tusks. This was the first time I used Audacity to really pick apart a recording and mangle it into something else entirely. After that there was a large change in ethos starting with Breathe Through Machines. That was when I began to build each track as a complex piece of its own, rather than a succinct splinter of the whole. I used the technique of recording an improvisation session then completely rebuilding it with Audacity into something new.

Of the three changes this is likely the most important as I believe it has absolutely changed the power and quality of my work. Before this album I could expect to finish a track in under two hours, sometimes closer to one. Starting here, every track needs upwards of five hours before I feel the idea is realizing itself, and sometimes it can take several days of work to finish the concept. There is a third stage of my work arranging itself at the moment as I move toward a series of dense and succinct tracks built around complex, evolving rhythms and the inclusion of central melodies or melodic themes.

DMD: Do you consider SG a ‘noise’ project? Also what are your feeling on using noise?
KT: I couldn't call Sunshine Girl a noise project or anything in particular. It's always just been my whims and interests. Whatever I can get to sound good in my ear. I use noise sometimes, but I'm not really interested in adhering to any idea for too long.

DMD: What other sorts of bands have you played in the past?
KT: As for previous bands, nothing substantial. I covered Paranoid by Black Sabbath at a talent show once but the whole experience and performance are just frustrating to think about afterward. Aside from that I've only performed alone or with others taking direction on my own compositions.

DMD: What are your current favourite Movies and Books? (as many as you want to list and why you like them)
KT: The Triplets of Belleville and The Royal Tenenbaums for my movies. I Watched them recently and both ended up in my top five. The first really impressed me with it’s extensive use of pantomime and detailed imagery to relate clear and strong emotions. The Royal Tenenbaums fascinated me because its story-telling reminds me of Hemmingway, where every character has an iceberg of thoughts and emotion to hide behind the actions and expressions shown. There is a real depth to them which only appears when reading between the lines of what is displayed. 

My top 5 movies: 

2001: A Space Odyssey

Taxi Driver, 

The Royal Tenembaums, 

Black Swan, 

The Triplets of Belleville. 

I’d recommend them each a million times.

The last two books I read were The Enormous Room by E. E. Cummings and Amerika by Franz Kafka. E. E. Cummings' prose is absolutely gorgeous, though the story is slow as hell. I enjoyed Amerika even though it doesn't hold a strong resemblance to his other works. I learned about halfway through that it is, in fact, an unfinished first novel. Neither are quite favorites, but both interesting.
That list goes (in any order): Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, The Stranger by Albert Camus, On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs and Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.

DMD: Do you ever think about writing a book?
KT: Absolutely. I'm practicing it with short stories at the moment. I tried to rewrite Naked Lunch last summer. Actually I just tried to steal the concept of a perfectly incomprehensible novel. It's a mess, nearly 700 pages in 52 days. The trouble is there is a story in there somewhere. In between pages filled only with typos and punctuation marks.

DMD: Do you plan on releasing your Albums/EPs physically?
KT: I’m going to release some physical copies eventually. I just need to get to the point where they might actually sell.

DMD: What (physical) formats are your personal preference?
KT: I suppose Vinyl with CD in close second. I haven't received my audiophile badge yet so I couldn't say which sounds nicer. It's really a toss up because though the album sleeve is roomier, a nice little cd booklet can be a powerful thing.

DMD: I read somewhere that Vinyl is apparently the biggest seller right now…maybe because its a large piece of collectable art.
KT: Always good to stick close with the powers of trendiness...That's something that edged vinyl over as well. CDs aren't old enough to be retro so they just seem like relics.

DMD: What are your 10 Desert Island Disks?
KT: Big Black - Songs About Fucking

Can - Tago Mago
Death Grips - The Powers That B
Deftones - Saturday Night Wrist
Faust - Faust
Radiohead - Kid A
Slint - Spiderland
The Mothers of Invention - Uncle Meat
Throbbing Gristle - D.O.A.
Tool - Ænima

DMD: Do you work as a Train Engineer?
KT: I suppose that, in the truest sense, I do not work as a train engineer. I do have a vinyl record filled with the sounds of steam engines, so that might be close enough.

DMD: What is your current recording set-up?
KT: I record either into my laptop or cellphone. A lot of my recent work is made entirely from short, abstracted voice samples so I haven't found myself trapped in by the meager gear quite yet, but I know it's coming of course.

DMD: What are your thoughts on the music industry in 2016? In your view Is paying for music almost a thing of the past?
KT: As for the music industry, I'm too new at this point to make any informed observations. It's possible the industry is in a state of transition due internet sharing, or this might be the state it resolved to. I've never interacted with the music industry in a meaningful way, so it's hard to provide any clear thought on the matter. 

Another twenty years might not be enough to catch what's really happening as the future is built from the minds of everyone involved. It's always too soon to be sure, but this is way too soon, at least from my perspective. I'll have to pay attention and get back to you on that when I'm 30 or something….I’m gathering information, on this and other subjects always.

DMD: What can you compare from Everything is real / Everything is not real to your latest work?
KT: I’m actually working on a stylistic change, somewhat major. Everything is real / Everything is not real was constructed entirely from improvised guitar pieces cut up in Audacity and reassembled into various styles…..I’m playing with more electronic styles and melody to an extent. My recent single is an idea of what is cooking, but I'm shaking it up with every track I make. 

That's the idea of experimentalism, huh? I'm still learning how to do everything. For the time being I'm going to make more music but release less so whatever is heard is the best and whatever is released can be promoted and worked with for a longer time. Singles for now, and exploration. I'm working on a split EP for the summer. I'm going to try playing with music videos too, given that greater chance to focus.

Social Media:

Soundcloud here

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Twitter here

Necromimesis: Progressive Melancholia

What does it mean to be heavy? 

One good example I can think of is drone metal colossus act Sunn O))) who seem to be doing a fine job of re-defining the term, with their infamous stage shows packed with stacks upon stacks of amplifiers deafening and delighting punters around the world. 

But being heavy in an emotional sense can be much harder to pull off, because it is something that has to come from within the very soul of the artist, not their amplifier settings.

His first demos were Doom and Black Metal exercises of despair, but his most recent release ‘Empty’ was where Iran’s Saeed Nasiry dropped the harsh vocals and distortion soaked guitar, thus turning his solo project ‘Necromimesis’ in a more progressive direction. 

You can read more of my thoughts on the EP at the bottom of this interview.

DMD: Your last EP came out 3 years ago, is there going to be a new album/EP coming out soon?

Saeed Nasiry: Well, right now I’m not “producing” any music. I’m spending my free time studying music theory in order to become able to compose better music in the future. But I’ll start producing the next album as soon as I can trust my abilities.

DMD: In Empty there are 3 parts: Black, Dark and Grey. Is there a special meaning behind these?

SN: Yes, it does have a meaning. I divided that album into three parts or movements and labeled each of them according to its mood and theme, in order to demonstrate the change that is happening in the mood and style of my music.

DMD:  Growing up, what artists & bands influenced and inspired you the most?

SN: The first artists to impress me were great Metal bands. I enjoyed almost all of the subgenres of Metal music. I can name early Anathema, early Katatonia, My Dying Bride, and Saturnus as the bands that influenced my first demo albums which were categorized as Funeral Doom Metal.

As my taste in music expanded, so did the range of artists and musicians that inspired me here’s a short list of musicians currently inspiring me: Radiohead, Björk, Ben Frost, Archive, Nine Inch Nails, Clint Mansell, A Perfect Circle, Depeche Mode, Marilyn Manson, Opeth, Unkle, Massive Attack.

DMD: Are you a self taught musician and producer?

SN: Kind of. I learned the basics of playing electric guitar from a bad teacher. Apart from that, I learned everything else from books/ebooks and online tutorials/courses. I don’t know if you could call that self-taught as I’ve had many teachers, I just haven’t met them in person.

DMD: What equipment and instruments do you use to play music and record?

SN: I bought a used electric guitar 8 years ago, that was my only physical instrument until recently when I started playing Setar (a traditional Iranian instrument) too. 

Everything else you hear in my music is software. I’ve done the composing, recording, mixing and mastering in my laptop. And I’ve also used my MP3 Player to record my voice when singing.

DMD: What is your day job?

SN: I’m a university student, studying Psychology.

DMD: Has studying Psychology inspired you to write your music/lyrics? 

SN: Well, it has surely affected the way I look at things a lot. But it hasn’t had a direct influence on my music as far as I can tell. 

DMD: How is the music scene in Iran? Are there any artists/bands you want to mention?

SN: Iran has a lot of great talents in music, but due to some religious/political issues and censorship, most of the musicians here are working without the support of a recording company, without the opportunity for performing live shows and making money using their music. So most of the talents aren’t becoming actualized, and the ones that do aren’t being heard.

Some great Iranian musicians are:

Ahoora (Indie/Experimental Rock)

Emerna (Atmospheric Black Metal)

Ekove Efrits (Ambient/Depressive Black Metal)

Explode (Progressive Metal with Thrash elements)

Mordab (Progressive Death Metal)

DMD:  What does ‘Necromimesis’ mean?

SN: Necromimesis is a very rare psychological disorder in which a person believes he or she is dead and cannot move.

DMD: Does your environment have an affect on your music/lyrics?

SN: Of course, it does. Songs like “Sodomarium” or “In Praise of People”, or “They Will Kill Us” from the earlier demo album are some kind of reaction to my environment and social situation. Other songs are related to specific persons, thoughts or situations.

DMD:  Name 10 albums you would take to a desert island.

SN: It’s really hard to choose only 10.

But:

1. A Natural Disaster (Anathema)

2. In Rainbows (Radiohead)

3. Thirteenth Step (A Perfect Circle)

4. Playing the Angel (Depeche Mode)

5. Night is the New Day (Katatonia)

6. The Fragile (Nine Inch Nails)

7. Symbolic (Death)

8. Homogenic (Björk)

9. Lights (Archive)

10. Empty (Necromimesis) (In case I meet someone in the island and need to show off)

DMD:  Is the bleak, moody atmosphere you create within your music intentional?

SN: Yes, I really enjoy dark, cold, depressive distressing moody atmosphere in music. 

Not as much as I used to, but still, it’s the easiest atmosphere for me to create in music.

DMD: For the next record, do you plan on going back to the harsher vocals like on Ashk?

SN: I’m not sure. I just know that I’m going to work with a wide range of styles for the future albums. And surely if I feel that a song needs harsh sounds and vocals, I’ll use them. I know that shifting to very different styles all the time, probably wouldn’t get you a lasting fan base, but I can’t help it.

DMD:  As well as your musical influences, what movies/books/art inspired you? 

SN: Film soundtracks have always inspired me, and becoming a composer for films is one of the goals I want to reach in the future. There’s a melody at the end of the track “Resurrection of Doom” that I wrote based on a melody I heard in the film “Eyes Wide Shut”. I was under the influence of that film at that time. David Lynch’s films (and their soundtracks) also have influenced me a lot. There’s a track called “Irréversible” on my latest album which I named after a film with the same name. 

DMD: If you could re-write the soundtrack to a film, what film would it be? 

SN: The Silence of the Lambs. Not because its original soundtrack isn’t good enough. It’s a masterpiece. I praise Howard Shore’s works. But I like that film’s atmosphere so much that I’d choose it as the first film to write a personal soundtrack for. 

DMD:  What software on your laptop do you use to produce your music and what do you use to get your drum sound?

SN: I’ve used Steinberg Cubase DAW for the production, and Toontrack’s products for some of the drum sounds. 

DMD:  If you could collaborate with any artist or producer, who would it be and why? 

SN: Björk. Because she’s a genius. 

DMD: In the future, would you want to make Necromimesis into a band with more members? or would you prefer to keep it as a solo project with occasional guest musician appearances?

SN: No, I’m not planning to form a band, at least not for the time being. Because I don’t think I’m very good at team work, and well, there are no live shows to need a band for performing them.

My thoughts on Empty: track by track

The fact that the EP has 3 movements named after the dark end of the colour spectrum should be your very first clue that you are not about to hear a release full of ‘Don’t worry, let’s be happy and enjoy life’ songs. Instead you are in for more of a melancholy  experience. 

Opening track ‘Sodomarium’ [Part I - Black] sets the stage on a sinister note. A giant vapour of dark energy drifts in, engulfing the area like someone letting slip bad news. Not far behind, weaving lines of keyboard sit atop mesmeric drums while Saeed’s murmers “There’s a lot of sick around us, there’s a lot of people” in his best Trent Reznor impression. On ‘In Praise of People’ [Part I - Black ] the drums switch to more of a marching beat, and the previously mentioned ivory lines attain more of a rounded quality. The chorus features a vocal melody that is reminiscent of Roger Waters’ voice from ‘The Wall’ album which also includes some well placed harmonies. Out of nowhere the track then takes an unexpected turn where it suddenly flies off into the void!

Irreversible [Part II - Dark ] begins with chords lurking like dark shadows, and it is here where Hedieh Mehman-navazan’s guest vocals make their appearance, offering a softer texture to the dimly lit ambience. But it is on my favourite track ‘Wasted’ where the sorrow-filled atmosphere hits fever pitch. The lead Piano switches to a melodic line made seemingly from tears. If this was a movie soundtrack, it would certainly be the scene where the leading actor discovers the death of their most beloved friend/family member. Amongst the turmoil, Saeed gravely proclaims “it’s not fair.” Like a match being blown out, the track fades away.  

The short intermission of ‘without you its so empty’ as the name suggests, makes a good intro to ‘What the Hell is Going On’ [Part III - Grey] which is one of SN’s many nods to his Funeral Doom roots, a swinging drum pattern loops like a manic depressive stuck in a vicious cycle, while organ sounds weep in the background. Just when you think it’s all over, the chords dripping with effects that appear courtesy of Delaram Sadeghzadeh fall like spring rain on ‘Nothing’ [Part III - Grey]. 

A reflective end to a soul wrenching and highly emotional piece of work.

It is remarkable that Saeed has only used voice, piano/keyboard and drums to produce an EP of such good audio quality. At times I admit the drums can feel robotic, but they are programmed well enough to lead the song rather than weigh it down.

The EP’s first few tracks have a healthy amount of Alternative/Industrial leanings, while fans of DSBM/Funeral Doom will find something to appreciate here despite the lack of overdriven guitar. The small amount of instrumentation certainly produces enough gloom to put an entire nation into mourning.

To conclude, ‘Empty’ is some very well executed baby steps into a gradual genre cross over, laying some mighty strong foundations for a full length album. 

Well worth a listen for fans of: Agalloch, Esoteric, Nocturnal Depression, Steven Wilson and Ulver. 

8.5/10

You can buy and listen to all of Necromimesis’ music here

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Gorguts: Pleiades’ Dust

Death Metal is often branded by many as unlistenable garbage, played too fast and brutal to make any sense. But despite these negative connotations, this metal sub genre has always managed to unearth visionaries who break new ground, smash the aforementioned pre-conceptions and challenge the status quo. It is these figures who lead the way into uncharted, more complex musical territory leaving their peers gazing in awe, desperate to outdo them.

Luc Lemay, the grey haired master behind Canada’s Gorguts is all these things and more. Already a fan of Iron Maiden, Celtic Frost and Possessed, he purchased a cassette copy of Death's 1987 album ‘Scream Bloody Gore’ and formed the group in his hometown of Quebec 1988.

After 5 Albums (2 of which were on Roadrunner) several hiatus periods and 2 band members passing away, Lemay recruited a fresh lineup of talented musicians and rejoined the DM fray back in 2013 with the well received Colored Sands. 

Choosing to release a one song EP this time around certainly is both a genius and ballsy move. On the one hand, it eliminates any ‘filler tracks’ allowing the band to focus on the whole piece. The flip side to this is it presents the challenge of having to include enough material to keep those along for the ride entertained. Thankfully, Pleiades’ Dust has no such hindrance and is the perfect blend of dark atmospherics with ferocious technicality resulting in a very cinematic listening trip.

As for the lyrical themes, they document the story of ‘The House of Wisdom’. A library in Baghdad built sometime around the 8th century, which at one point held the largest collection of books in the world. Many important advances occurred there in the fields of algebra, astronomy, geography and physics while Europe was still in the dark ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. The house was destroyed in 1258 AD during the siege of Baghdad by the Mongels, however many of the house’s manuscripts were saved and later translated.  

At it’s most out of control tornado like moments, the phantom hulk figure of Gorguts’ 1998 album Obscura comes smashing through the window accompanied by it’s mischievous sidekick, 2001’s From Wisdom to Hate and I just know somewhere ‘Big’ Steeve Hurdle and Steve MacDonald are smiling. However the eye of the storm is just as unsettling a place, where Lemay's classical influences can be heard (such as Poland's Penderecki and Russian composers Prokofiev and Shostakovich) which definitely help the quartet conjure up lightless arctic conditions.

Each of the members rarely mirror what the other is playing, and instead they tend to recite their own lines of the story through their respective instruments, interweaving between one another while all remaining on the same sonic mission. The EP marks Patrice Hamelin 'Guts drumming debut who is on fire. He strives to serve the material and compliment the work of his 3 bandmates rather than choosing repetitive blast beats.

Colin Marston’s efforts also command respect. His frenetic bass-work adds thunderous depth to the already colossal riffs, and on the occasion it sharply cuts through the mix, he stings away like a bee in the throes of death. 

Meanwhile Lemay and Huffnagel’s warped guitars are constantly in a state of discordant harmony furiously swirled through an avant-garde filter. Then seemingly plucked from the coldest reaches of this earth to achieve the icy clean sections. 

In the mystical twists and turns of it’s half hour life cycle, Pleiades’ Dust is built up, torn down and then rebuilt with terrifying consistency. Even if Death Metal is nothing but a curiosity for anyone reading this, all the correct ‘accessible’ precautions have been taken here and they don’t backfire. The record is not an overwhelm of heaviness and technicality, nor do the various distortion-less passages that inhabit it feel overdone. 

One such section features ghostly amplifier buzzing mixed with guitar harmonics that float by eerily. Leading into a gargantuan monster of a riff that I can only describe as if Converge stopped playing Metallic Hardcore and started playing Black Metal.

What I like most about the EP is that it doesn't feel formulated and had me constantly guessing where the band where headed next. The band are certainly challenging themselves with the new material and exercise that in the perfect amount of time and with plenty of audio treasure to uncover I can't really fault it.  

Despite the Gorguts name being nearly 30 years old, the music still has a modern bite thanks to to the added input of the young blood and Lemay’s uncompromising artistic vision. The piece also makes a fine combatant against the army of Djent and Tech-Death clones and would easily come out swinging. 

If you’re someone who enjoys fully immersing themselves in a band’s release, reaping the rewards with every listen plus some growled vocals and a nice helping of dissonance aren’t a deal breaker, then Pleiades' Dust deserves nothing short of your full attention. 

9/10

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Gorguts Official Site