18 Jul 2021

EP review: Cthonica - Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore (2021)

 

Cthonica - Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore

Venezuela

Sentient Ruin Laboratories / Caligari Records

From the depths of Venezuela, a communist country rife with crime and oppression, comes the duo known as Cthonica. The band plays dark and subterranean black/death reminiscent of bands like Antediluvian and Grave Upheaval. "Lessor Incantations of Cthonic Lore" is their sophomore release and the follow-up to their excellent 2019 debut album, eerily titled "Typhomanteia: Sacred Triarchy of Spiritual Putrefaction." The music exudes a deeply sinister atmosphere that makes you feel as if you've just entered an alternate dimension of pure evil. Most of the songs follow a similar flow, but are able to put the listener into a trance with their hypnotic and impossibly dark overtones. The vocals are monstrously cavernous to match the music, while the drums, bass, and guitar are drenched in a rather primitive production. The guitar sound is absolutely perfect for the style they play and gives off a very gritty atmosphere that makes your skin crawl. The production is suitably raw for this kind of cacophonous music, coupled with their knack for excellent songwriting that contains a lot of depth. There are a lot of bands that have tried to play some sort of dark, murky black/death over the years, but few come across as convincingly as these Venezuelan maniacs. These guys are, without a doubt, the real deal. Highly recommended! (HT)