Delve Into the Mysteries of Transcendence

With Delve Into the Mysteries of Transcendence, Suspiral provides a fuller taste of what they've been working on since their EP two years ago in the form of three songs averaging thirteen minutes each. Their sound has a mysterious quality to it that doesn't stop it from delivering ripping black metal guitar work, composed of equal servings of ecstasy and fury. When the first blasts of Poisonous Essence hit you, it belies how intricate things get later on in the track. Starting with screaming guitar solos over rhythm passages that would outstrip a thrash band in the speed department, the guitars slow down to a brooding darkness, only to leap back up to manic speeds. But my favorite part here is guitarist M.S.'s multi-layered, chattering guitar leads, shrieking out of the cavernous lower portions of the song as if in demonic delight through multiple minutes of the song. Hiereía Deúro, which is supposed to represent meditation, is actually harsher and less dreamlike than the preceding track, but still introspective, filled with chaotic drum work and layered, battling guitar leads. All these high-flown trappings, in the hands of less talented folks, could probably drag the songs' quality down, but the duo never loses sight of the need to kick the listener's ass while still engaging in philosophical musing. The final track, The Art of Death, keeps the solid core of its melody always ascending in a crunching, roughshod fashion, but behind that some of the best shredding is occurring. As the lead complexity grows, it takes over and fades out gradually, as if the protagonist of the song has finally learned "the art of death" by experiencing it first-hand. Delve Into the Mysteries of Transcendence is an album that needs some careful listening to take in everything Suspiral is trying to do here. For those who like an atmosphere of majestic, complex darkness, this is a good one to give a listen. Bandcamp: https://suspiral.bandcamp.com/.