ALBUM REVIEW: The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos – Sulphur Aeon

2018 has been an incredible year for death metal. With old-school, genre-leading artists like HATE ETERNAL and KRISIUN maintaining their prestige, modern titans BEHEMOTH and WOLFHEART delivering end-of-year-list topping offerings, and up-and-coming underground warriors like CARNATION and HOODED MENACE releasing brilliance, there has been something incredible for every death metal fan this year. A release that may fly under the radar for the some, but stands as one of death metal’s best offerings of 2018, is the third full-length from Yuggothian cultists SULPHUR AEON: The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos.

Masterfully blending a mix of raw, cacophonous black metal and utterly crushing, old-school death metal, SULPHUR AEON explore a series of stories based on the writing of the father of cosmic horror, HP Lovecraft. Though Lovecraftian lyrics have always been a staple in extreme metal, it’s a struggle to think of a band that achieve the essence of Lovecraft quite as well as SULPHUR AEON. Lovecraftian horror embodies the fear of the unknown we all have within us, and the unsettling knowledge of our own insignificance on a cosmic level. The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos channels that disturbing, otherworldly feeling into a gloriously gloom-ridden slab of blackened death metal.

The cult-like, Gregorian-chant styled singing is not something that should take fans of SULPHUR AEON by surprise – they were used briefly on the closing moments of Ruins Beneath The Waves, from their debut EP Deep Deep Down They Sleep, and sparingly across several tracks from Swallowed By The Ocean’s Tide and Gateway To The Antisphere. From the first unsettling vocal lines of album opener The Cult Of Starry Wisdom, this haunting singing is marked as a more present addition to SULPHUR AEON‘s sound. Appearing, even briefly, in every song on The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos – with the exceptions of Veneration Of The Lunar Orb, Sinister Sea Sabbath and Lungs Into Gills – this cleaner style of vocals simultaneously brings a bit of a catchier element to the vocals, and adds to the overarching unsettling atmosphere the record maintains from start to finish.

The level of brilliance from the three core members of SULPHUR AEON is especially noteworthy. Vocalist M. has outdone himself with The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos – his gutturals are booming with demonic majesty, while his high pitched screams are dripping with evil and his cleanly sung chants bring a whole new level of melody to SULPHUR AEON‘s sound. D. dominates the drums, keeping everything tight and injecting an Inferno (BEHEMOTH) inspired flair. And T. has delivered nothing short of excellence in his guitar work: the riffs are as viscous and brutal as they come, while his leads inject a subtle sense of melody – his solos on Sinister Sea Sabbath, Lungs Into Gills and The Summoning Of Nyarlathotep.

Some of the strongest moments on The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos comes from The Summoning Of Nyarlathotep and The Onerionaut – Haunting Visions Within The Starlit Chambers Of Seven Gates. Dancing between groove and frantic blasting, The Summoning Of Nyarlathotep is as memorable as it is crushing. It’s no stretch to envision a packed out crowd chanting “Nyarlathotep!” along with M. sung plea. Around the mid-way point, we see SULPHUR AEON drop the atmospherics moving into straight-for-the-jugular brutality, and a slow, bluesy solo. Meanwhile, The Onerionaut… has one of the catchiest riffs on The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos, and comes together as one of the most haunting and cult-ish songs on the album.

The two part story of Sinister Sea Sabbath and Lungs Into Gills stands as a conceptual master-piece. Sinister Sea Sabbath is the longest track on the record by some distance, clocking in at nine-and-a-half minutes, but at no point does it feel overlong. A malevolent, doomy riff opens the track, doubling down on the apocalyptic atmosphere The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos has established thus far. The slower, heavy atmospheric intro then gives way to a dose of pure savagery that only relents to give way to that blistering solo. The closing minute and a half of Sinister Sea Sabbath is utterly monolithic as a huge, deceptively hooky riff draws the track to its end. Though separated on the track list by The Onerionaut…, when taken out of the established running order the fade-out from Sinister Sea Sabbath leads nicely into Lungs Into Gills. With subtle nods to Sinister Sea Sabbath, Lungs Into Gills showcases a perfect juxtaposition as a calm, haunting riff stands behind the malice-dripping vocals of M.. In spite of itself, there is a hooky nature to Lungs Into Gills, with memorable leads and riffs, and the epic, chorus-like line “Ai! Ai! Abyssal choirs will sound! Ai! Ai! Cults of worship, abound!” is certain to burrow its way into your subconscious.

The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos comes to an all-too-soon close with its pseudo-title-track. Thou Shalt Not Speak His Name (The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos) is easily a contender for the strongest song on the album. Opening with an absolutely crushing groove, it’s clear from the get-go this was a song made for a live audience. Blackened tremolo guitar lines keep the track moving forward, while subtle melodies lift it. A short spoken word section leads into Thou Shalt Not Speak His Name (The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos)‘s spellbinding finale. A truly evil guitar line repeats, as the haunted, cultish chanting of M. echoes, heralding an oncoming Yuggothian apocalypse. “It is He who holds / The sceptre of obliteration / It is He who weilds / The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos” repeats as the song builds to a climax, finishing with a marvellous layered vocal line of M. cleanly sung chants and his venomous growl.

Though the late-year release of SULPHUR AEON‘s third full-length may find it excluded from many end-of-year lists, make no mistake: The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is one of the strongest albums to grace our ears this year. As much as the record is dark, unsettling and thought-provoking, it also stays true to the cornerstones of what makes heavy metal great – it’s skull-cleavingly heavy and an incredibly fun listen. Drenched in a haunting atmosphere that keeps the listener on edge for the entirety of the run-time, SULPHUR AEON have perfectly transitioned the unknowable terror of Lovecraftian horror from the written page to the stereo. If Swallowed By The Ocean’s Tide and Gateway To The Antisphere weren’t confirmation enough, The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos firmly reaffirms SULPHUR AEON‘s position as one of the most exciting death metal bands in the underground.

Rating: 9/10

The Scythe Of Cosmic Chaos is set for release on December 21st via Ván Records.

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