Album art by Vaiug
Style: Technical Death Metal (Harsh Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Disentomb, Morbid Angel, Incantation
Country: Colorado, United States
Release date: 24 January 2025
Clawing their way out of hadean pits, covered in soot and smelling of sulfur, Denver Colorado based duo Discordant Meditation return after three EPs with their debut full length: Tragic Creature. Frenetic riffplay and a hectic energy give way to lumbering phrases that betray a slight psychedelic tinge. Discordant Meditation play a ripping style of death metal, drawing influence from a wide array of artists and techniques from the genre and–much like the creature on the cover–grafts them together into grotesque form. The result is anything but tragic.
Opening track “Conduit” immediately invokes some of Tragic Creature’s weirder stylistic traits, starting with an odd interval riff and pacing that is reminiscent of Demilich, but quickly veers into a more modern display of technicality and structure. Like freshly drawn blood on the edge of a blade, there is a tangible frenzied physicality to the performance that leaves the listener seeing red. Razor sharp guitar work switches on a dime between arpeggiated runs, intense tremolo picking and tectonic chugs, weaving in and out of these techniques in a dexterous flurry. The drumming follows along and is equally intense, weaving in and out of subdivisions and handling tempo changes with ease while still finding time for precise accentuation and bustling flourishes. The songwriting is calculated, and Discordant Meditation have seemingly tailored every moment to their individual strengths as musicians.
Hidden within the maelstrom, though, is a shade of psychedelia, never quite at the forefront but always gnawing at the edge of the subconscious. The first time I noticed it, I had the thought: “Oh! This is kind of like if Blood Incantation only played the good parts,” but it is much more subtle than that. The closest comparison that comes to my mind is Faceless Burial’s 2022 release At the Foothills of Deliration; the riffs can be gestural and formless, despite the precise technicality and clear production. Slower parts of Tragic Creature are where this psychedelic tinge is presented in its most crystallized form. Off-kilter interval choices like those at the end of “Formless as Water” comprise stilted arpeggios creating a sickly discomfort, like a toxic bog: suffocating and enfeebling. Slower riffs lurch along like a mammoth beast marred in muck and mire, self-assured and in no hurry to reach its prey. These parts would feel right at home on Morbid Angel’s Gateways to Annihilation; even the vocal performance is a consistent low growl, full timbred and malicious.
The marrying of detailed precision and fevered atmosphere is an extremely effective combination, but can also leave something to be desired. Phrases come and go in a flash, obscure and gestural, leaving the mind searching for a foothold. The songs can go by in a bit of a blur, but the performances are gripping enough to where this barely matters. This seemingly contradictory ethos is veiled somewhat by the sheer thrill of Discordant Meditation’s execution of the style, but Tragic Creature is not a record that aims to get stuck in the listener’s head. Rather, the goal seems to be to steamroll the listener via blunt force, with deliberate pockets of respite to ensure each agonizing moment is fully felt.
For a two-piece outfit, Discordant Meditation’s sound is a remarkably full experience. The production is exhilaratingly clear, leaving no space for either member to hide behind the other’s performance. Instead, each performance adds context to the other, working together but always threatening to ruthlessly take the other over if they fall behind. Tragic Creature is like a shapeshifter stuck in-between painful transformation, its vague hazy shape equal parts alluring and repulsive, an antagonistic living breathing paradox. It is like a lot of things, but there isn’t anything quite like it.
Recommended tracks: Festering Black Fractals, Formless as Water, Tragic Creature
You may also like: Faceless Burial, Replicant, Fathomless Ritual
Final verdict: 8/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Discordant Meditation is:
– Donovan Parran (Guitars, Vocals)
– Justin Becker (Drums, Bass)
