I don’t know why but I’ve always loved Canada. Victoria BC and Vancouver Island are a lot of fun to explore. I live in and around Montreal for a couple of years. Hell, hockey was invented there, and that alone is reason to love Canada. And Canada has the reputation of just a lot of nice, wholesome folks living the way we wish society still was.
But there is a writhing, seething underbelly in Canadian metal. Witness this release by Auroch. There is not a nice, pleasant thing about it. They combine elements of death metal, black metal, and thrash into a very unpleasant groove. They are huge fans of H.P. Lovecraft and all of their song lyrics are based on his mythos. This is some evil, twisted sounding music. And I gotta say I love it.
Auroch take what for me are all the best parts of the genres mentioned above and meld them into something a little unique. Sure, there are other bands who like to bend genres, but not all of them get it right like these guys. And I think the Lovecraft concept helps them out a lot. It gives them a unifying, underlying concept that helps them craft their tunes. There is nothing like a mythology based on tentacled gods who long to break into this world and make it their own to add a grimness and really, horror, to the songwriting.
I really dig most of the tracks on this album. “Dregs Of Sanity” has some really nice guitar work that literally sounds like it is right on the edge of sanity and just totally fits the song. The title track kicks off the album with a blast and gets things rolling nicely. You’re not sure exactly what style is coming at you but it’s headed straight for you at full speed and you can either get out of the way or get flattened. “Talisman For Total Temporal Collapse” starts out moody and atmospheric sounding, and takes off like a bull in a china shop, with some nice tempo changes for good measure.
One of the things I like the most about metal like this is that it is intelligent. The lyrics are well thought out and you know that these guys know their literature inside and out. Metal is often looked at as some sort of dumbed down music for Neanderthals, but releases like this always prove that is just one stereotype that does not fit. You can’t write music like this if you don’t have a brain in your head that is fully used. I like to use albums like this one to show people who have a completely wrong impression of metal just what a great style of music it really is.
So to sum things up, I love Canada, I love Lovecraft, and I love Auroch. Check out this album and I’m sure you will agree on at least some of that.
- ODIN
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