Ascetic principles have come to be associated mostly with mainstream religious ideals, but BARSHASKETH of the UK have effectively reappropriated them for left-hand path ambitions on Antinomian Asceticism, their latest work and one which undoubtedly raises The Self through its ritualistic fury. A storm is unleashed in the relentless pursuit of this endeavor on “Radiant Aperture,” where the sonic assault of its drums and riffing is joined alongside wretched vocal rasps, and together these generate a ravaging intensity that becomes imbued with the mystique surrounding various aural dynamics. Incantations are sung periodically by droning voices that elevate the dread of this summoning, and they harmonize with an ominous tone carried in the riff progressions, which form planes of malevolence and wrath for the melodic infernalities manifesting throughout.
Some of those designs expand with arpeggiated glares during “Nitimur in Vetitum,” and other dark variations are raised by the fretted patterns and harmonics it joins to tremolo lines, which then proceed alongside a rhythmically charged riff to create a passage marked for effective interplay between layers. Malignant notes achieve a desolate and imposing eeriness under the slowed focus of “Lebenswelt Below,” and haunting aural effects parallel that tone when the tempo rages ahead, evoking a quality of atmospheric torment in the rhythmic and instrumental structures that congeals further on “Charnel Quietism.” The near-industrialized beating of certain drum sections is also recognized at points here, and that percussive technique is key to the colossal presence forged among riff masses reflecting a fierce abyssal blackness. These visions reach deeper immersive levels from cavernous and ethereal currents observed within the shadows, and their essence fits around the ambience of other tracks capturing a ruined or ancient temple likeness.
Atmosphere is centered instrumentally on “Phaneron Engulf,” where some masterly drumwork is observed in ritualized and technical combinations unfolding around tranced-out fret shapes, and those features transfer to the title track alongside others which synchronize into an infectious groove. Its progression through ceremonial passages and gatherings with grander forces that culminate in a frenzied technical exhibition make it an undeniable highlight, and “Exultation of Ceaseless Defiance” follows as the instinctive finale with a lethal synthesis of the elemental collective. The section with drums striking purposefully in time to a tremolo descent has a notable impact, and the prevailing riff dissonance leaves an abyss wide open for hellish emanations to triumph. Antinomian Asceticism displays a continued sharpening of BARSHASKETH’s craft, and its fusion between unsettling tones and a harsh attack forms varied and engageable structures, which are enhanced by doses of ambient ritual to forge a vicious entry for the year.
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