Where Neurosis and Sunn O))) meet there you find Dark Buddha Rising - and their new record is as jaw-dropping at that sounds.
It was April 19th, 2018. A long, long time ago. When there were socially undistanced gatherings with sonic support called concerts. It was one of the mind-blowingly warm April days in Tilburg’s Freak Canyon at Roadburn. And late in the day there was another collaboration, this time by two of Finland’s finest: Oranssi Pazuzu and Dark Buddha Rising under the moniker of “Waste of Space Orchestra”, a recording of that collab was released last year to high critical acclaim. For me, it was my first real encounter with Dark Buddha Rising, I had listened to some of their stuff before that weekend as I always do with most of the artists, but this concert was really able to transcend that place and moment in time. Since then I collected nearly all DBR stuff and was positively excited when I heard that they would release a new record mid-November.
After giving Mathreyata a thorough listening session, I can only say: Wow! Masterpiece! Top of the class for this year! Why? Well, let’s find out.
When entering the record via “Sunyaga” the listener steps into a world where human life is either non-existing or physically regressed up to a point where regular human interaction is not possible anymore due to the mental and bodily decay. Mankind is so regressed from before that no one even remembers anymore what caused this development. There is a small group of remainers that hold up a torch of enlightenment through rituals. These are accompanied by music from the apocalypse – deep, sonic assaults on the living and the dead and everyone in between.
What strikes everyone listening is how rich this music is, even though it is to harsh and noisy. Listening to each of the four songs on Mathreyata is like witnessing a perfectly well-rehearsed orchestra performing songs by Neurosis. It is fighting against the scripted music but at the same time it still sounds awesome. DBR’s mix of noise, sludge, drone and doom is similar Sunn O))) at certain moments but then again it’s like a modern version of Godflesh or a less-well-lit adaptation of Swallow the Sun. This is very obvious with the second track “Nagathma” with its lush melodic lines on the one side and the harsh indistinguishable growls on the other.
The band took up the concepts they had already introduced on their last two regular releases, the full-length “Inversum” (2015) and the EP “II” (2018), as Vesa Ajomo states </i>“Mathreyata follows the visions that were received from ‘Inversum’’s implosion and is the accession of what we invoked with the ‘II’ EP. Before completing the great circle, all cycles must be dissolved. In the end we are standing at the edge of the abyss.”</i> When listening to this record, an abyss must be quite tempting and disturbing at the same time.
What is awesome about this record is its balance, you never have the feeling that anything on it is too much or not enough. The tracks tell you everything you need to know about its ugliness and simultaneously lures you in to find out more – in a very adequate length: unlike on some other DBR releases, no track is longer than 15 minutes (not shorter than seven at the other end).
If you are looking to buy only one extreme metal album this year - Mathreyata might be your best choice because it combines the best trademarks of the Dark Buddha Rising-sound with a precise songwriting and some perfectly encapsulated soundscapes.
