This is the debut album from US black/death metal band Rhizaria.
Rhizaria play a progressive form of black and death metal, delivering a hybrid style that’s irregular, and very compelling. Indulgences contains 40 minutes of material that scratches a very particular itch that sits right in a hard to reach place between atmosphere and dissonance.
A heady mix of technical death metal and dissonant black metal, (or dissonant death metal and technical black metal, if you prefer), Indulgence is a progressive feast of extremity for those that are looking for an unpolished feast of satisfying worldbuilding.
Rhizaria play their music with raw visceral aggression and esoteric atmosphere. It’s a combination of instant gratification and obscure interest; the songs have an obvious appeal that comes from earthy, gritty extreme metal, but also from a depth that’s murky and difficult to penetrate, yielding rewards for those with the perseverance to try.
Indulgences is an amalgamation of its influences such that if you think of it as either a black metal record with death metal weight, or a death metal record with black metal atmosphere, you’d largely be right. I tend to lean towards the former, not that it really matters. Either way, this is not the black metal of the frozen European strain, and has more in common with the atmospheric American variety. If you take the vicious side of bands like Falls of Rauros and Panopticon, couple it with something arcane and inscrutable like Krallice, throw in a dissonant death metal edge, and then deliver the end result with raw, underground intensity, you’ll have a good idea of the waters that Rhizaria lurk in.
Across the album Rhizaria introduce a range of creative ideas, atypical percussive choices, and intricate detailing, raising up the music to a level higher than it might have occupied without these diversions.
The use of melody is a strong aspect of Indulgences‘ appeal. Frequently atmospheric and imbued with emotion, it’s juxtaposed against rhythm guitars that are dark and menacing. At times the melodies shift into otherworldly dissonant territories, taking the rest of the music with them. In these moments Rhizaria descend into the underworld with malevolent glee. It works a treat.
Another way of thinking of Rhizaria then – atmospheric black metal, only warped and corrupted into something grimmer and darker than the norm. Instead of celebrating nature, it looks to subvert and distort it for its own cryptic purposes.
This is a really strong record. Rhizaria’s debut album has a lot of character and personality. Although reminiscent of other acts to a certain extent, Indulgences has a flavour of its own. The merging of the atmospheric and the dissonant, of the natural and the unnatural, works marvellously. Rhizaria’s first record is a winner, and I urge you to not let this underground gem pass you by.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 