Since the excellent The Decaying Light (2019), Disentomb has kept a rather low profile, certainly taking the necessary step back to prepare their next major contribution. The Nothing Above EP deftly continues the Australian band’s exploration of their signature melancholy and hypnotic atmospheres.
If the brutal death metal subgenre has not historically been associated with a very broad expressive palette, apart from its inventiveness in rhythms and guttural vocals, this is increasingly changing. Disentomb is one of those bands that have taken the gamble of retaining this uncompromising aesthetic, but expanding its means of expression. As far back as Misery (2014), the band incorporated a highly dramatic darkness reminiscent of doom metal, creating a depth of field with rhythmic instruments pounding out various tempos. Today, the Australian quartet can boast of having extrapolated a whole soundscape from these early attempts.
From the outset, we’re dealing with four compositions that are highly elaborate in their development, which relies more on variation than repetition. The vocal performance and drumming are impeccable, invigorating the music neatly. But enveloping all this brutality – and not without a fair amount of reverb – is a guitar playing rich in minor chords, semitones and minor sixths, a language immediately reminiscent of New Zealand’s Ulcerate. Far from crying plagiarism, let’s rather rejoice in the successful hybridization between this introspective aura and the bestial nature of brutal death metal.
Not every influence is so easily grafted onto a tried-and-tested musical aesthetic. On Nothing Above, however, the formula works. Knowing that the band is already working on a fourth album, one wonders what territory this opus will dare to venture into to keep things interesting.
