ALBUM REVIEW: Threshold Between Worlds – Shallow Grave
SHALLOW GRAVE has been resurrected, reborn with a new album within their clasp, Threshold Between Worlds. Their self-titled debut was received with welcome arms, described as musically punishing and a real masterclass of extreme metal. Threshold Between Worlds takes those notions a step further, letting loose another torrent of sonic carnage into the world.
The Horrendous Abyss starts the album off with dissonant guitar work for a solid minute or so before the drums and bass kick in. After the rhythmic, lumbering riffs fully awaken, the tempo picks up the pace leading into a cacophony of percussion and waling vocalisations. The final four minutes of the track are almost entirely ambient noises, that while interesting and emotive, don’t add all that much to the fidelity of the recording.
Garden of Blood however is a completely different arrangement as harrowing vocals and crushing drums signal the beginning of the track, closely followed by fuzz and distorted guitar and bass. Once the intensity has worn off, there’s this feeling of having a weight on your shoulders, some kind of burden as the guitars sing a dirge for you. This continues for a fair while, then we’re straight back to the aggressive and pummelling noise of the beginning. Once again, a good couple of minutes, right at the end, is dedicated to an acoustic and atmospheric accompaniment.
Master of Cruel is a slow burning track from SHALLOW GRAVE, taking its time to build into something momentous. As each instrument and component is incrementally introduced, the heaviness begins to take form, a monstrous beast, dripping with ominous overtones. Once the track kicks off, there’s almost no respite from what has been unleashed, bellowing bass lines, pummelling drums, and unearthly vocals fill the space between spaces. There is only one downside, the vocals don’t seem to be mixed very well, as they are very difficult to hear over the rest of the instrumentation. Now we come to the title track, Threshold Between Worlds. The ambience that concluded the previous track, is the introduction of this one, howling winds, distorted deathly voices, and an underlying layer of static. On the contrast to Master of Cruel, much of this finale is atmospheric and only somewhat accompanied by the instruments to complement the performance. Saying that, the track still holds up and maintains the themes and feelings that have been portrayed through the album.
Threshold Between Worlds is a hard album to place. On one hand it’s artistic and hauntingly eerie, taking inspiration from funeral rites and the darker aspects of humanity, and on the other it seems to be a duality between what the album is trying to be. There are plenty of heavy elements and atmosphere, but at times there isn’t a consistent balance, or the transitions can be jarring. The album on the whole is a work of art, and the instrumental, ambient sections are the most impressive, but the vocals that are hard to hear amidst the noise really lets the album down.
Rating: 7/10
Threshold Between Worlds is out now via Sludgelord Records.
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