Repugnant - Epitome of Darkness - Reviews - Diabolical Conquest Webzine

Sid E. Burns- Guitar
Tom Bones- Drums
Mary Goore- Guitar/Vocals
Carlos Sathanas- Bass

This one has been a LONNNGGGG fucking time coming! Now, I am an admitted sucker for any band that has aligned itself with the Stockholm/Sunlight renaissance, and throughout the years have exhibited great enthusiasm in the works of everything from Bloodbath (yeah, I fucking like them!) to Vomitory to Nominon, Deathevokation, Necrovation and the likes. Often, the concerted efforts of such outfits pale considerably in comparison to the likes of Grotesque, Nirvana 2002, Carnage and whatnot, but in an age where the conviction, vigor and GRIME of olden times has been diluted/polluted (depending on your perspective) by the atrocities that an age of Pro Tools has inflicted on the extreme metal populace, even the faintest whiff of God Macabre will have me doing cartwheels across my lair. Now, Repugnant, that's another story altogether. With last year's monumental ‘Hecatomb' EP, Repugnant managed to resurrect the malignant, maggot-infested corpses of Repulsion, Celtic Frost, Nihilist and Blood Feast to do their evil bidding. Referencing a broad range of influences across the vast expanses of death/thrash metal, Repugnant transcend the flimsy, ductile retro-isms of Bloodbath, Ribspreader and the likes and instead siphon the hereditary legacy they've inherited from their Swedish forefathers, reanimating their own gruesome musical Frankenstein from distinct parts, all littered across the blood-streaked warpaths of death metal history.

What will no doubt be apparent to new initiates into the Repugnant order is the fact that they are considerably more “messy” sounding than more straightforward propositions like the equally-awesome-but-more-obvious Kaamos or Verminous. Indeed, there is a cataclysmic, churning grindiness that betrays the sonic debt the boys owe to vintage Repulsion and Carcass, though essentially the riffing bears no great similarity to either, the lads amplifying classic Stockholm riffs through a grindy filter. The clattering, sputtering, unapologetically DIRTY mix will win them even fewer admirers amongst the trend-metal fraternity- when the bass isn't on its lonesome in songs (often surfacing to the front to serve as a precursor to some AWESOME breakdown riff), it is wholly indistinguishable from the sludgy, murky walls of guitar. Vocals are cloaked in impenetrable layers of reverb, and gain knobs are at 11 all the way through, the band evidently exhibiting no reservations in ANNOUNCING the unadulterated single-mindedness of their intent….YES, this is Nihilist-ic, magnificently malevolent death metal that will thrust a scimitar into your gut, wrench the blade and disembowel you when it's all over.

What is more than evident throughout the record is that while Repugnant stray from the straightforward Sunlight-isms of their contemporaries, their choice of Swedish influences seems to differ greatly from the Entombed/Unleashed/Grave leanings of today's foremost exponents of “Swedeath”. I'm talking about classic Nihilist, demo-era Dismember (that unbridled/unhinged blackened MADNESS!), Carnage, Merciless, Obscurity, Morbid, as well as shades of Mortem (Nor), demo-era Thou Shalt Suffer, that REAL nightmarish, cacophonous Scandinavian black/death metal that has, to the detriment of us all, been obscured by the fey and wan tendencies of today's "extreme'' metal underground. A gander at the sleeve affirms that these folks are not fucking around- the imagery presented within evokes all the morbidity and monstrosity of Morbid and Treblinka, the band decked out in all the requisite regalia befitting black/death metal's new crown princes- gruesome corpsepaint, bullet belts, studs and chains. Not since the old Morbid and Mayhem pics have I been so moved!

I am absolutely certain that a good number of folks will denounce the coarse, only-barely-mixed-and-mastered sound of the record, but surely, with a band as genuinely maniacal and bloodthirsty as Repugnant, one cannot hope for anything different. Yet, for all their dirt-caked callousness, dizzying speed and devilish belligerence, Repugnant have always managed to craft consistently thrilling, disturbingly infectious product that almost undermines the sheer savagery and propulsive bombast of their approach. Every chorus on the record is a howl-to-the-moon delight, and I defy you to resist screaming “NOSSFFERATTTUU….EEEENSSIDDEE OVVV YOUUU!” (complete with thick Swedish accent, no less) on the opening track, or “WE COPULATE, FOR SATAN'S PRAISE!” on “ Sacred Blasphemy” . Be warned, the vocal phrasing on this album is INFECTIOUS as a motherfucker, something I wish more bands were conscious of in a landscape where everybody is trying to cram in as much multi-syllabic, asymmetrical verbiage in one verse as humanly possible. When one wades through the swampy mucus of barreling Repulsion/Nihilist- on-fast-forward veracity that makes up much of the record, one can discern a fair deal of 'The Awakening' Merciless, pre-breakup Necrodeath and ‘Endless Pain' Kreator thrashiness, piercing through the fungus-ridden undergrowth with frighteningly insistent assertiveness.

Strangely enough, a band that I can't help but think of whenever I throw this bloodcaked slab on the stereo is early Nifelheim, a band that I can legitimately say is the black metal equivalent to the violence contained within 'Epitome Of Darkness'. Much like Nifelheim have done with the likes of Bathory, Sarcofago, Merciless etcetera, Repugnant have managed to harness and forge rather obvious influences into a malignant amalgam that is far greater than the sum of its constituent parts. This is precisely what distinguishes Repugnant from far more linear contemporaries, and it doesn't hurt that they flaunt enough attention to melody and hookcraft (again, refer to the first two Nifelheim albums for a black metal parallel) to earmark them for absolute greatness. Further listens to this record only serve to affirm that this is a variegated album with enough depth, dynamism and sheer CRUELTY to withstand ceaseless plays- everything from the reverb-drenched vocal production to the vocal phrasing, rhythms and solos is absolutely immaculate. The sheer immediacy and destructive GUST of the music should not lead you to believe that this is a flash-in-the-pan gimmick of a record- while I absolutely GUARANFUCKINGTEE that you'll revere it upon first listen, each subsequent spin will, I am certain, prove to be just as rewarding, or even more so, than the first. Allow enough time for the choruses, riffs and rhythms to truly burrow themselves into your consciousness, I beseech you!

Highlights, then! You'd better have that air guitar handy for the solo section in “Nosferatu”, an unnervingly melodious, almost saccharine affair that shines defiantly amidst the pervasive, enveloping blackness of the track. A reverb-soaked dual guitar exchange punctuates the magnificent “Premature Burial”, while assertively early Hannemann-esque heroics bleed all over “Voices Of The Dead”, “Draped In Cere Cloth” (alright, maybe more King than Hannemann here), “Spawn Of Pure Malevolence” , atonal yet thoughtful accents to the pulverizing pummel of the material on offer. The simplistic, yet utterly DEVASTATING main riff on “Sacred Blasphemy” will leave no survivors, while “From Beyond The Grave”, already a staple amongst dedicated Repugnant devotees, sees another lease of life here, and remains one of the foremost high marks on an album pregnant with peaks. Undoubtedly the most “Swedish” sounding offering amongst a smorgasbord of sumptuous treats, the track serves as the band's most steadfast ode to their native soil, resuscitating the likes of Gorement and Carnage with vigor and vitriol. “Eating From A Coffin”, meanwhile, applies a 'Schizophrenia' rifforama approach to relentlessly morbid Scandinavian death metal, and EASILY takes the cake as the most delectable morsel in this buffet of barbarity- just BEHOLD the sheer BEAUTY of that Celtic Frost breakdown…tearjerking stuff for any acolyte at the altar of pure occult metal, really bloody excellent.

At this point, I feel as though I should retract every cynical quip I've ever made about the state of death metal today. I mean, the fact that today's death metal landscape is clogged with redundant, ductile and senseless trends is beyond disputation, but the very fact that something as savage, as scintillating and as SINCERE as 'Epitome Of Darkness' EXISTS in 2006 should serve as sufficient evidence of death metal's unwavering vitality in the face of mass-market sterilization. This is a fucking bulldozer of an album, steamrolling through death metal's extensive legacy, making but brief pauses at various landmarks across the way. No apologies are made, no compromises are offered, no shortcuts are taken- this should be shoved into the hands of every nitwit in a Unique Leader shirt. So fucking good I think I'll need a few more years to recover from it all…