ALBUM REVIEW: Quod Erat Faciendum – Euclidean

Black metal, for those who take the time to understand it, can be a genre of extraordinary intelligence. Those looking for something meaningful beyond the music itself, the themes and views that go beyond the band can often be found here. Debut full-length album from EUCLIDEAN, Quod Erat Faciendum, boasts a highly involved theological concept; the universe, from start to finish. Taking on doom-laden ambience to balance out the dark depths of the thematises, have EUCLIDEAN done enough to thoroughly cover the topic in a musical sense?

Increatus beings, low and brooding. The hollow echoing feels like the picking of an axe into the hollows of the world; it depicts the chipping away of time, an echo of the workings of the universe. Slowly, an indistinct melody builds, and as the tension of this lonely tune is gathered, the pressing power of the string’s grinds down with unhurried and deliberate weight. It’s a dramatic start, a very atmospheric introduction to the first quarter of themes to be explored here. Our introduction focuses on the more pagan elements of the creation/destruction myth, and that ancient authority runs thick here.

Finally, the tensions breaks and we burst into Numbers Hold Sovereignty. Here, EUCLIDEAN look more towards what they describe as a Pythagorean view of our universal narrative. Don’t be fooled, this isn’t about triangles – rather, that our universe is structured on numbers, and that numbers are the centre of everything. The music blends the previous ideas about paganism and what can be considered as a pretty modern concept of the universe into something of two parts. There’s real emotion here, brooding and ancient, but in that, something sharp and consistent roars in the thoughtful phrasings, the change of beat, the maths within all music. It’s growling vocals and every droning doom guitars, shinning about the drudge of the bass and rhythm all amount to pretty powerful stuff.

Superstitio shifts things into a much more sinister, warped echo than the previous intro. Immediately, the sense of daunting comes not from a sense of something old, but something unknown. This portion of the album looks towards a Christian theory of the destiny of the soul, and the air becomes electric with the dreadful purpose of what the kind of idea brings. There’s a tang to the guitars, itching to bring forth their mighty melody, and a much punchier kick to the drums, as the notions of what the soul is and the ultimate journey it takes is uncovered.

The pairing to this is As He Reached The Divine Yearning. What’s interesting is that EUCLIDEAN allow their music to breathe in the first song of each section, they let you find the feeling and the emotion yourself. It’s the second part that unleashes the tortured and atmospheric vocals, low screams still clearly audible, that steer the music. they are less primal than before, more commanding, which is fitting. The guitars become less droning and ambient, and start to amass into a throbbing tune that will carry you into the thick of the dark and complex themes in this section. There are lows and highs, quiet moments that linger and towering minutes that look to overwhelm. The conclusion is and ghostly sigh, a bittersweet note held over a mist of tumbling, thinning synth, that perfectly captures a notion of a heavenly end.

Obstinatio draws us once more into a sinister riff, bellowing drums. Here, EUCLIDEAN have focused on the Book of Revelations. The themes fit perfectly with the black metal persuasion of the band, the vocals more human, but come across more desperate and fearful for it. It’s a truly atmospheric piece, that plays more with the black metal side of EUCLIDEAN, with more tune than ambience, but still packing in the emotion. There’s more expression between the notes, the track takes it time and picks its moments to surprise you. And God Bred Chaos builds upon the phrasings of its predecessor ever more, the moments of brutality are more tangible, and the moments of refrain are all the more exciting because of it.

Religio is built upon thickly distorted guitars, fizzing and humming their tune over a distinctly calm beat. The strings hark back to the droning start of our journey, where things were raw and simple. However, the layering and change in tone overlays the notion that things have changed. The final part of this album brings us to look at the concept of the universe through neo-pagan eyes. This song has the weight of Increatus, but is more self-aware. It feels younger, but with a much heavier heart rumbling below it.

It’s fitting then that our final track takes the cynical name Numbers Held Sovereignty. All things are tarnished, and the unity of all this is in a disarray. So too, the music presses in with a variety of vocal styles, all aggressive, some sad some pained. The drums are almost aching, thick and thudding. The tune itself is a tapestry. Bass lines thunder on, notes clash, in every strike and fill of the drum, a there’s tale. Where things become so dense, with so much fuzz you would think to be lost to the music and every sense of despair and betrayal is compelling you to your end, that when the final moments arrive, a blissful swelling of notes that feel so pure. It’s a catharsis to the theological, emotional journey that is Quod Erat Faciendum.

A project that took several years to complete, all the effort, meticulous work and emotion has amalgamated into a highly intelligent, visceral album in Quod Erat Faciendum. EUCLIDEAN are well worth your time if you enjoy compelling, intelligent black metal and full-on atmospheric doom.

Rating: 8/10

Quod Erat Faciendum is set for release on February 9th via Division Records.

Like EUCLIDEAN on Facebook.