There’s much more than this plane of existence.
Are you willing to listen?
A few years ago, one of the more obscure bands on my year-end list happened to be Germany’s Ch’ahom and their debut full-length LP Knots of Abhorrence. Released via Sentient Ruin Laboratories, I expected some sort of war metal record, and, of course, that’s what I found.
Sadly, I did not encounter the machine elves.
Nonetheless, these folks have now signed with 20 Buck Spin for their second album, Anthropic Rites of Sublimation, which has an even more bizarre narrative; this time centered around humanity’s urge toward self-destruction and how that impulse shapes culture. Through themes of sacrifice, mutilation, enslavement, and surrender, it imagines societies built around an impending encounter with annihilation.
HAPPY STUFF, ya know? But also kinda relevant?
Anthropic Rites of Sublimation was unleashed with the single “Cult of Xaman.” In many ways, it keeps the same tone and ferocity as the debut. The tribal drum patterns, vocals sitting just behind the rhythm section and guitars in the mix, and chaotic lead playing maintain that otherworldly tone — think of it as a combination of Timeghoul and Profanatica. Meanwhile, “Reign of Nohol” allows Ch’ahom to incorporate technicality in the vein of Gorguts’ Obscura, built upon a foundation of weird time signatures, ping-ponging between blastbeats and breakneck grooves, all while lathering it up with a juicy bass tone straight out of the ‘Guts playbook.
While not out of the ordinary for contemporary extreme metal bands to incorporate influences from the groups mentioned above, the German outfit finds a way to really capture individuality, and much of that, as you’ll find, lies within the tasteful addition of South American native instrumentation — see “Priests of Lik’in.” I mentioned the drum patterns earlier, but all of that, combined with heavy emphasis on reverb, captures the ritual of sound the band leans into. The cosmic tech-death leads are sick on this track, too, and not to mention the breakdown reminiscent of something off Blood Incantation’s Starspawn weaves its way in there.
Overall, the album sits around 30 minutes, and a third of it lies within the confines of the final track, “Insemination.” The most cinematic offering on the record, throughout the first half, chants of “sacrifice” build up to an atmospheric instrumental break before an onslaught of straight war metal drowns the sound waves, akin to the Sri Lankan cult-favorite Genocide Shrines. From their EPs, demos, and first full-length, this one sounds like everything they’ve been building towards. If there’s any track that truly captures the essence of Ch’ahom, it’s this one. And I understand that isn’t a hot take considering the more than 10-minute runtime. But it’s done really well, especially with the interlude to break things up.
Anthropic Rites of Sublimation is a welcome second full-length from Ch’ahom and, honestly, a pretty damn strong statement from, in my humble opinion, one of the strongest up-and-comers in the scene. They’ve taken what worked on Knots of Abhorrence and expanded on it without losing that weird, ritualistic quality that made the debut so interesting in the first place. It’s chaotic, psychedelic, technical and, at times, just downright strange.
Exactly what the shaman ordered.
There’s much more than this plane of existence, and after two full-lengths, Ch’ahom is getting closer and closer to proving it.
How do I know?
I was just willing to listen.
Are you?
