ALBUM REVIEW: Triptych – Dischordia
Hailing from Oklahoma City in the grand old US of A, DISCHORDIA have resurfaced for their first full-length in six years. Titled Triptych, it promises just that, three musical movements expressed through their own swelteringly complex and outrageously dissonant style.
Bounding out of the gate like an aggravated Rottweiler with a mouthful of foam is Minds Of Dust. It’s a dense and suffocating arrangement of jerky, schizophrenic riffing and complex rhythm patterns, which serves as the wrecking ball to your mind that will clear the path for the arrival of Bodies of Ash. While just as dissonant as its predecessor it is a much more restrained effort, sitting in the comfortable groove of meaty, chugging chords in its first half. Come the middle point of the track however we are introduced to one of DISCHORDIA’s more innovative additions to traditional dissodeath fare. The angsty heft of the track falls away, leaving only a rather unsettling layer of tinkling piano, which itself does not sit alone for long before it is accompanied by a serpentine segment of JETHRO TULL-style meandering flute. This is certainly an interesting addition, but due to the sheer ferocity of its surroundings it does feel slightly out of place and it may not be remiss to ask whether or not it is actually necessary. In Spirits Of Dirt we find quick bursts of machine-gun staccato riffing intermingled with some quite charming interludes before a truly massive hammering of power chords and discordant noodling sees us out.
From here we head into the second portion of the titular triptych, The Wheel. This track is darker, harsher and more pummelling than its predecessor, giving off more than a whiff of black metal sensibilities and knack for building atmosphere bubbling away just under the surface, while in the immediate foreground it’s all bone-splinteringly powerful drums, noodly, prog-tinged basslines and murky, muscular riff work. The Whip is more of the same but with a slightly proggier bent, resulting in a thoroughly mind-bending sonic assault that’s as cosmic as it is punishing. The Carriage begins on an intensely moody clean passage before reintroducing us to that smoky flute for well over a quarter of the track’s eight-minute runtime. It’s a good job the remaining five are utterly pummelling or else you may have been in for a tirade about how it seems out of place again. Lucky you.
Turning to the third and final segment of the triptych, we are welcomed with Panopticon, which almost feels like the most straightforward outing yet, forcing the proggy, madcap elements into the backseat and instead replacing them with more traditional death metal furore. It’s a welcome addition and one that really shows off DISCHORDIA’s chops for writing enormous slabs of riffs. Purifying Flame turns the prog knob right back up but still manages to be planet-collapsingly heavy, despite the fact it bookends an almost jazz interlude at its halfway point. Closer Le Petite Mort is a thorough chug fest that claws its way inexorably forward, gradually losing momentum while a choir that gives off vibes reminiscent of the soundtrack to the original Omen movie comes gradually higher in the mix. It’s vibrant and dramatic, leaving the listener room to breathe and digest following the aural punishment they have been subjected to.
Overall, Triptych is an excellent outing for DISCHORDIA. It could very definitely be argued that there are points on the album that are overblown or self-indulgent, but for the most part what we have here is a viciously complex labyrinth of murky, dissonant, harsh death metal that will require several listens to truly unpack. There’s more to this beast than can be digested in just one sitting and, like a quality film, it just gets better on repeat exposure.
Rating 8/10
Triptych is out now via Transcending Obscurity Records.
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