By Grayson Hale
Let’s not beat around the bush here; Lychgate’s self-titled debut album is evil... really evil. If one look at the album cover doesn’t already give you that impression, the first few minutes of music certainly will. For a band consisting of members from Esoteric, Lunar Aurora and Omega Centauri, among others, this kind of atmosphere was always expected; it’s the execution of it that is most impressive.
From the opening minute of 'The Inception' it is apparent that this is not going to be a comfortable journey, with the use of a church organ creating a particularly unsettling tone. 'Resentment' is a great track but consists of mostly mid-paced black/doom metal, and it’s not until 'Against the Paradoxical Guild' that the album truly comes to life.
The latter track features an awe-inspiring vocal performance from Greg Chandler, who utilises his terrifying high-pitched shrieks to full effect. The music is just so much more sinister when Chandler leaves his mark on it, but kudos to the rest of the group for enveloping his vocals in some truly magnificent soundscapes. This is black metal of the highest standard, further evidenced by 'In Self Ruin', where the pace really kicks up and the avant-garde and progressive elements come to the fore. These are all experienced musicians from very forward-thinking groups, and their willingness to experiment gives the album a really confident air to it. The blistering guitar solo that comes in about a minute into the song is an unexpected move, but is pretty much as good as it gets for the genre.
Also expect to hear everything from hypnotic chanting ('Intermezzo'), blastbeats ('Triumphalism'), and acoustic breaks ('Dust of a Gun Barrel') during Lychgate’s latter half, which rounds up the album perfectly. There are no weak tracks here, making the 38 minutes of music go by quickly, but memorably. In short, if you’re a fan of any of the bands involved, enjoy ‘artsy’ black metal of any kind, or like music that will make you want to hide beneath the bed covers, Lychgate is definitely for you.
