Terminus Episode 96 - Gjendød, Doldrum, Sepulchral Curse

We're a little late with this one, but for a good reason: there's a new bonus episode out! If you want to hear us talk about Cranium and Immortal for a while, all it takes is your credit card number (give it to us now.) But before you do that, check out this episode which features a pair of challenging black(?) metal records for the weird and dedicated. First up, however- the return of Sepulchral Curse, whose new EP shows the band experimenting with different angles on their Finndeath sound, perhaps indicating some intriguing things about the next full length.

Our first main review is another returning act: Gjendød of Norway whose 2020 record Angrep ended up being a year-end favorite of both hosts. Their newest record takes a radically different form, blending Nordic folkblack with an avant-garde rhythmic edge, resulting in a sound melodically familiar but structurally alienating. Simple yet harmonically rich riffing glides by in a distinctly airy manner, but the meat of the music lies among the rocks and roots of the bass and drums. A substantial departure from their last record, but it sticks the landing nonetheless.

Further down the rabbit hole is yet ANOTHER returning character in Doldrum, whose demo we covered in 2020. If that peek into the process didn't convince you, the full-length surely will: this is a weird one. From distant black metal roots and perhaps more immediate prog, post-hardcore, and jazz tendencies comes a gnarly and atmospheric work most reminiscent of extreme metal's mid-life-crisis experimental streak of the early and mid-00s. Somehow, though, the melange works, with precise musicianship and relentless atmospheric focus giving life to what will undoubtedly be one of the most unique metal records of the year.

0:00:00 - Intro/Sepulchral Curse - The Deathbed Sessions (Personal Records / Lycanthropic Chants / Transylvanian Recordings)

0:20:24 - Gjendod - I Utakt Med Verden (Hellthrasher Productions)

1:10:41 - Interlude - Trelldom - “Slave til en kommende natt” fr. Til et annet… (Hammerheart Records, 1999)

1:16:26 - Doldrum - The Knocking, or the Story of the Sound That Preceded Their Disappearance (Katafalque)

2:09:28 - Outro - Ewigkeit - “The Nightmare Institution” fr. Conspiritus (Earache Records, 2005)

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