Pale Chalice – Afflicting the Dichotomy of Trepid Creation
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Flenser Records
In a mere 6 minutes and 13 seconds, Pale Chalice’s FIRST SONG, and title track, has more black metal inside of it than some bands have in an album. It’s very structure is made from ordered chaos and lyrically is fucking awesome. (“Eyes corroding from the dark/Falsely aware of its embrace…”, “…Feast unto me/Devour my adorned flesh/And absorb you I will…”, etc.)
“Command of the Formless” somehow slows the speed down to a funeral dirge in comparison and yet keeps the same energy going. It’s as grim as possible, while taking in some depressive elements into the music. Again, the lyrics are very original, taking a spacey, otherworldly approach to black metal rather than a straight forward attack.
“Caressed by a Feeble Flame” speeds up again with a lead riff that for whatever reason reminds me a little of classic 70′s and 80′s metal without being classic metal. The rest of the riff structure is more of a traditional black metal throughout the song, with such great guitar tone. This one is probably my favorite track on the EP, with “Command of the Formless” right behind it.
“Ascend the Idyllic Sphere” keeps the speed up and adds more ordered chaos. Most akin to the title track musically, this is a headbanger of a black metal song, with a nice thrashy riff section that’s a fingerburner for the guitarist, an odd spot compared to most black metal’s pure barbarism. The lyrics truly steal the song this time, rather than being a perfect part of it.
For example: “Pale memetic photophorm/Asymmatic deriviation of the void/Entranced sidereal luminosity/Enslaved through synthetic design…” And that’s the opening verse! The whole thing is just mindblowing.
Pale Chalice take a huge win with Afflicting the Dichotomy of Trepid Creation. Beyond effective, beyond affective.
10 out of 10.
Pale Chalice on MySpace.