LP Review: "Beyond The Thresholds" by Marthyrium

Beyond The Thresholds

There are few things in this world greater than a milkshake.

The trifle is up there. If you've never had that cake, be sure to get your hands on one. They are so packed together and full of all sorts of flavors. Why, it would be impossible to try one and not be hooked.

But what might be a bit more relevant to us today would be the (not so) humble concrete. These are available at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, at either location on Route 66 or South Grand in St. Louis, MO.

If you've been through St. Louis and didn't get one, you missed out. What these things are is essentially ice cream, but custard instead of proper ice cream. They are the thickest thing you've ever experienced in terms of desserts. Sometimes they'll turn them upside down before handing them to you and they don't move, hence the name concrete.

Marthyrium

What makes these abominations of nature so delightful is that in their density, which is considerable, there is no loss of flavor. In fact, you can get up to 753 different flavors put into your custard.

Personally, I roll with butterscotch and sometimes add Dad's Oatmeal Cookies.

Nothing overpowers anything else.

Marthyrium are a black metal band out from Spain. It would make sense that this band of blasphemers would be from the place that birthed the Spanish Inquisition would it not?

Many black metal acts have the heaviness and sheer density that these fellows have been able to conceive and put on wax, but it's rare for this to be anything of consequence.

Even though this collection of songs is packed to the brim with sound, there's no loss, there's no feeling of confusion. This sort of witchcraft is pleasing to the ear.

Cannibal, the drummer, also has a few other tricks up his sleeve. Normally, this reviewer is no fan of triggered drums. They tend to lack definition, feel, and dynamics. Cannibal has found a way to get around this drumming handicap and use the triggers conservatively and with a purpose.

There are all sorts of blast beats here, but they're not all triggered, which makes the triggers effective. Any other drummers, take a page from his book.

The six string desecrator, Tharngrist, plays conventional black metal chords. His progressions detail a curved path into the abyss and he's buttressed by four sepuchural stringer, Balc.

This trio has taken classic black metal and modern black metal and combined them into a delicious sundae.

Release: 6/2/17
Genre: Black Metal
Label: BlackSeed Productions
Formats: CD/Digital
Facebook
Bandcamp