A new portrayal of demise has been formulated in Poland, with an ominous and chaotic potency embodied by EMBARLA FIRGASTO, and its lone alchemist wields these forces to capitalize on the burden of 2018’s Inter Spem et Metum. This second encounter, which bears the title of Temporal Capsule, captures a dark myriad within its malign essence, and those engaging its contents will be kept suspended in unease while layered arrangements pursue a terminal course. Various elements and instrumental measures converge, along with the turbulent influences to forward a bleak resolve, and other epic points are also incorporated throughout their menacing collective. EMBARLA FIRGASTO demonstrates rigorous potential with the songcraft of Temporal capsule, and its portents inspire a despair to match humanity’s impending future.
Dreariness creeps and takes hold in the notes emerging on “Chapter of Immersion – Condemnation and Exile,” and the tone set by this brooding introductory track crosses over to “Chapter of Existence – Conductors of Life and Death,” where orchestrated varieties develop throughout its vast duration. Interweaved layers of rhythm and melody advance with the percussive haste, and their erratic tendencies reveal fleeting details when vocals commence. A guttural approach drives the oppressive aural quality, but greater dynamism is also exercised in the points of overlapping harshness and whispers that arise. These variations enhance multiple bleak tremolo and arpeggiated forms, which produce moments of visceral melodic allure as they progress, and the impact is further heightened from drum patterns infused during blast-beaten and slower grooving paces. Other rhythmic pulsations bring out strikes of resounding dissonance, an element that permeates the arrangements with unsettling effect, and its discord escalates in frantic progressions leading to a nightmarish ambient interlude. This feature augments the overarching gloom, and it reappears in the spectral presence haunting within another section of eerie desolation. Chaos inevitably rebounds from those abysmal depths, with barrages of cacophony that gather into a foreboding riff mass, and doom is the destination reached through its final pounding beats.
Tormented vibrations proceed steadily on “Chapter of Death – Devouring the Pestilence,” but a warped tremolo density soon advances the madness alongside heavy accented riffs, and it delves into other disturbed areas, where a distinct rhythm accommodates the complicated overlap between dismal melodic layers. Arpeggiations weave their malignant emphasis across these structures, and they resonate further with pronounced vocals to herald a developing rhythmic flow. This continues amid bouts of persistent fury, with atmospheric tones joining its dark stride to capture a notably grand moment, and similar manifestations follow the ominous currents on “Chapter of Disappearance – Nihilistic Levitation.” Its riffing inflicts a formidable strike matched by relentless percussion, and the heaviness transfers to dual-leveled tremolos that conspire for a magnified bleak impact. Hypnotic and dire effects are produced during a section of pulsing string bends, which marks another epic conjuring within the work, and heightened tremolos carry its influence into a gloomy lead melody. Many preceding influences gather for an extensive finale on “Chapter of Insanity – Fire, Flesh, Destiny,” along with the crushing magnitude and dissonance to seal a grim fate, and the turbulence of multiple transitions drives the immensity of these forces. A slower passage then augments the affliction before chaos rages ahead toward a harrowing end.
Dark psychology and metaphysics permeate the accompanying texts, with each track recording a different stage of decline as humanity succumbs to ignorance and conceit, and “Promises are about to collapse” from the powers tormenting those “Who pursue and wonder” on “Chapter of Existence – Conductors of Life and Death.” It observes our turning to “Dust of non-perfection” in “The rotten excuse for a world,” and an oblivious regard for this decay is reflected when calling to “Pretend our words still have worth.” Glimpses of reality are caught as “Terror saturates their eyes,” and the ensuing “Sonnets of failure” progress toward “Weak creations” in a “Lifeless cycle of black and white” on “Chapter of Death – Devouring the Pestilence,” where one is “Constantly lost” with an “Inability to form the perfect self.” It also describes “Watching the maze of souls trapped behind my own sins,” and this could be an instance of another thematic aspect, which involves productive societal contributors getting dragged down as a consequence of mankind’s overall degeneracy.
The subject matter advances with “Monuments of the saints soaked in blood of scum” on “Chapter of Disappearance – Nihilistic Levitation,” and the bleak course of “Crawling creatures lost in fog” leads to questions of how “Glory, once so pure,” became corrupt. Pleas are answered by “Harbingers of doom,” since only a “Celebration of plague” could arise from this dissipation, and a union of “Life and death” is noted before the “The cattle of everlasting rot” tread across “Chapter of Insanity – Fire, Flesh, Destiny.” Devourment by those forces ensues, with “Life” deemed “A gloom abstraction” as “The terror has begun its harvest,” and the intensity of this “Fall into disgrace” is perceived through “Interwoven joy and confusion” alongside “Asphyxiation from hideous thoughts.” An outcome of “All values lost, as well as you” extends to being “Carried into awareness,” where one is left “To find the final truth of own mind,” and the revelatory potential of these scenes conjures a blackness that completes and amplifies the orchestrated vehemence.
Influences from an unbounded dark void are apparent on Temporal Capsule, with hostility and chaos ravaging amid various levels of bleakness, and its compositions utilize those energies with compelling proficiency. Melodic and arpeggiated shapes carry an eerie appeal matched by the force of heavier riffing, and intricate designs are revealed through their multilayered interactions. The fierce rhythmic maneuvers and vocals are also notable, along with heightened developments arising from calculated atmospheric notes, and a single musician arranging these detailed structures is another point to acknowledge. Being critical of someone’s art is difficult, and here I can only encourage further experimentation and growth, as the abundance of dissonant black/death metal I’ve recently encountered suggests it will be vital for artists pursuing that style to maintain a distinguishable identity. Expanding on the more epic and entrancing moments of Temporal Capsule may be worth consideration, but its unpredictable elements are also highly favored, and together these form a work commanding acclaim for EMBARLA FIRGASTO.
themisanthreport.com 