RSS Feed


ULTHAR
Anthronomicon

20 Buck Spin (2023)
Rating: 8.5/10

While there is and have been a handful of bands with the same moniker, this particular cosmic entity from the U.S. is very much in a ghoulish galaxy of its own. Having crafted unorthodox snaps of scathing extreme metal since 2014, this Ulthar – whose name derives from the village of the same name within the Cthulu Mythos of H.P. Lovecraft – continues its rather wayward and unpredictable journey by releasing two full-length albums simultaneously.

The first of these is Anthronomicon, a snappy, snarling affair drenched in the expected jarring frenzies we’ve come to associate with the band since their debut offering Cosmovore in 2018.

It seems only apt that Ulthar should release an album alongside Minnesota’s Nothingness (Supraliminal), with both bands – although very different – exploring the farther reaches of the cosmos in order to whip us into frenzy. Ulthar, unlike Nothingness, opt for more of a black metal-influenced vibe, although the band is never far away from channelling death metal aesthetics alongside peculiar, dissonant thrash dynamics.

To put simply, Ulthar creates dread-filled streaks of zipping, abrasive metal whereby black metal-styled vocal sneers work in maniacal tandem with the vim of grey, cutting axe work. There are no actual grooves to speak of, but merely the listener is wrapped up in a wire gauze funnelled through a stark, fragmented blizzard and spat out into a blender while the scent of the ominous pervades the air.

In a sense, the cover artwork sums up this whipping, disdainful creation, much of which is delivered as fast spits of evil and contempt. Occasionally, a track may hint at something slower (‘Saccades’) but no sooner has a breath been taken that those angular, short-tempered guitars begin their turbulent journey amidst a hail of sporadic percussive blasts. To become bedazzled by such bonkers brutality is the only way out of such a thorny network of strategically placed booby-traps, and to attempt to comprehend such a labyrinth would no doubt result in instant death.

Tread carefully with this one, but once navigated – after about the 20th listen – be brave enough to dive back in and rediscover further peculiarities within its icy folds.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share