▄█████▄ ░█████▄ ▄████▄░█▄ ░█▄ ▄█████▄ ███▄██ ▄██ ▄█▄ ▄██████ ▄█▄ ▄███ ░████░██▀████▓ ▀██ ▄██░▀█████ ████ ███▓ ██████▓██ ▓███████ ███▓░▀█▀████ ███▓ ███▓ ▓███░ ██ ██▄ ▄██▓██ ▓███▓██░ ▓███░███░███████████▄ ███░███░ ███░ ▄███ ███ ▄█▀░ ████████░██ █████████▄ ▓██░███ ███▓█████████ ███████ ███ ███░ ███████ ███▓ ░██ ██ ██████▓ ░██ ▀██ ███░███▓██████ ███▓███ ███ ███ ████████░███░ ███ ██▄ ██▓███░ ██▄ ██░██▓ ███ ▀▀████ ███░███ ███ ███ ███▓░███████░ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███▓██▓██░ ███ ▓████ ███ ███ ▓██▓ ███ ███░ ▓██████ ███ ▓████ ▓██▄ ▓████████ ███ ▓███ ███ ███ ███░███ ███ ░██████ ███ ░████ ░███ ███▓███▓ ███ ░███ ███ ███ ██▓███ ███ ███▓██ ███ ███ ▓██▄ ███░███░ ███ ███ ███ ███ ░█████ ███ ██▓░██▄ ███ ▓█▀ ▓██▄ ███ ██░ ███ ██▓ ███ ███ ░███▀ ░█▀ ██░ ██ ░█▀ ░███▄ ▀ ▀ ▓█▀ ███░ ░█▀ ██▀ ██░ ▄██▀ ░█▄ ▄███▀ ░██ ░ ██ ▓░ ▓░ ██░ ▓█░ ░█▀ ▀█░ ░█▓ ░ ██ ██ Artist: Cyaegha ██ ██ ▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Steps of Descent █■ ░░█ ■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2008 █ ▀▓█ ░ █ ▓ Rel. Date: 2019-06-29 ▓ █ ▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒ █▄ ░ Label: Canonical Hours ░ ▄█ ░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█ ░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░ ▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓ ▓ █ █ ░ ▓ ▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■ ░█ █░ ▀ █ And here we've got a technical and ambitious debut █ █ offering from a Virgina death metal outfit, laden █ █ with groove and discord. The thematic focus for █ █ most of the album is inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, █ █ with the closing track "Fuck-Start My Dinner" █ █ being very reminiscent of early Cannibal Corpse █ █ subject matter. Trust me, just read the lyrics. █ █ Yep, gross is right. █ █ At first I found many of the songs to sound quite █ █ similar, but on further immersion I found myself █ █ growing more attached to some of their excellent █ █ freak out riffs. For example, the riff that comes █ █ in half way through "Mask in Flesh" is quite █ █ excellent and brutally steers the track in a new █ █ direction. Some of the tracks are simply █ █ bewildering with their technical flow of maddened █ █ riffing, i.e. "Postmortem Enlightenment" and "From █ █ the Depths". One of my favorite tracks, █ █ surprisingly, was the haunting instrumental █ █ "Abductio Sapientia" which is actually an █ █ orchestral, synth piece with no metal whatsoever. █ █ It's pretty spooky, especially this time of year. █ █ Lyrical focus is heavily placed on the H.P. █ █ Lovecraft mythos and we can never have enough of █ █ that. Production on the album is great. The █ █ guitars have a nice, organic touch to them, the █ █ bass is audible and the vocals and drums balance █ █ nicely. Fans of the new wave of US brutal/tech █ █ death metal centered on decent riff-writing and █ █ frantic musicianship (i.e. Odious Mortem and █ █ others) will have a grisly feast on this one. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ With 2008s watershed of superb, high profile █ █ releases, a number of lower profile but still █ █ excellent releases from the likes of █ █ Mitochondrion, Hour Of Penance, Celebrant, █ █ Battalion, Hackneyed and VirginiaÆs H.P Lovecraft █ █ obsessed act Cyaegha got somewhat overlooked. █ █ For a debut, Steps of Descent is a confident, █ █ under the radar entry into technical death metal, █ █ with a definite Morbid Angel lean and plenty of █ █ Lovecraftian menace undulating beneath the █ █ polished, if slightly clicky, but natural, noodly █ █ exterior. The riffs are sharp and precise and █ █ divide the fine line between tech over kill, █ █ brutality and self indulgence. The vocals are █ █ standard death metal screech and roar, and █ █ actually not too burly or growly, with a much █ █ greater range and variety, making the album █ █ slightly more listenable in the long run. █ █ As youÆd expect from a tech death metal outfit, █ █ the musicianship is top notch from twangy bass █ █ play to finite drumming and tight guitar work, █ █ with all players performing well. The material █ █ itself from blasting opener ôUltharÆs Decreeö █ █ through the surprising melodic almost Origin like █ █ sweeps of ôMask In Fleshö, atmospheric █ █ instrumental ôObduction Sapientiaö the oddly named █ █ closer (at least in the context of the rest of the █ █ album) ôFuck Start my Dinnerö, the album is █ █ everything youÆd want from a tech death album █ █ without forcing the issue or overdoing it. The █ █ Lovecraftian themes are there but not dominant or █ █ overbearing (öWhile Sarnath Lies Desolateö, █ █ ôEpiphany of RÆlyehö) to where it takes from the █ █ essence of the music. █ █ In all, a pretty solid debut from a young band █ █ thatÆs hould to get even better and possibly start █ █ elbowing their way into the likes of Decrepit █ █ Birth and Severed Savior within the next couple of █ █ albums if they stay on track. █ █ █ █ --- █ █ █ █ In a scene that seems more overcrowded than ever, █ █ it's nice to see a band that attempts to bring █ █ something fresh to the table. Virginia's Cyaegha █ █ (pronounced Sigh-Ay-Ee-Ger in case you were █ █ wondering) play a more old-school influenced brand █ █ of tech-death, miles above much of the souless, █ █ mechanical stuff that seems all-too prevalent at █ █ the moment. This is reflected most notceably in █ █ the drum sound. It seems like in the world of █ █ technical death metal it's now obligatory to █ █ trigger the shit out of the bass drum until all █ █ you can hear is a rapid 'click-click-click', but █ █ Cyaegha have gone for a slightly more natural █ █ sound, which I thought made a nice change. It's █ █ also worth mentioning the vocals. Fans of █ █ ultra-low 'br00tal' vox will probably be █ █ disappointed, although Cooley does possess a good █ █ range (I initially thought there were 2 vocalists █ █ on the record) going from an almost █ █ grindcore-esque snarl to a deeper growl (like in █ █ Postmortem Enlightenment). They're generally more █ █ decipherable than many death vocals out there, █ █ which works for this band as the lyrics are very █ █ decent and poetic (again, quite refreshing) █ █ generally based around the works of HP Lovecraft, █ █ and while this is not an entirely new idea for a █ █ metal band (Nile and Metallica spring to mind) it █ █ gives the band some conceptual and lyrical focus. █ █ One small gripe I have is that the Lovecraftian █ █ themes aren't really conveyed in the music. █ █ Instrumental track 'Abductio Sapientia' goes some █ █ way towards remedying this, with it's strings and █ █ haunting samples, but it feels almost like an █ █ afterthought. If Cyaegha manage to integrate these █ █ aspects into their death metal pieces more █ █ successfully, they could really be onto something. █ █ Opener 'Ulthar's Degree' lays down the mood for █ █ the ensuing album. Fast paced and full of intent; █ █ this is a band that's placing their stake among █ █ the behemoths of the genre with tight and █ █ unrestrained musicianship (keep an ear out for the █ █ cool little bass break at 3.19 as well). Following █ █ track 'Masked in Flesh' contains a really sweet █ █ solo and 'While Sarnath Lies Desolate' again █ █ contains some awesome guitar work, as does █ █ highlight 'From the Depths' which manages to be █ █ memorably melodic while still conveying the chaos █ █ and heaviness of the other tracks. █ █ 'Epiphany of R'lyeh' contains more excellent █ █ musicianship, with menacing guitar melodies, and █ █ closer 'Fuck-Start My Dinner' has some really █ █ tight sweeping and tapping sections. █ █ The bottom line is, this album may not be a █ █ classic (if one was feeling particularly critical, █ █ I guess it could be fair to say there isn't quite █ █ enough contrast or memorable moments in the █ █ album), but it does come close. It's a very █ █ exciting and ambitious debut that shows this band, █ █ if they can hone their songwriting, dynamics and █ █ also do a tiny bit more to find their own voice, █ █ has genuinely huge potential and could become one █ █ of the biggest players in technical death metal. █ █ Ones to keep an eye on for sure. █ ▓ ▓ ▒ ▒ ░ 1. Ulthar's Decree 3:45 ░ ░ 2. Mask in Flesh 4:20 ░ ░ 3. While Sarnath Lies Desolate 3:38 ░ ░ 4. From the Depths 4:33 ░ ░ 5. Obduction Sapientia 2:11 ░ ░ 6. Epiphany of R'lyeh 3:45 ░ ░ 7. Postmortem Enlightenment 3:18 ░ ░ 8. Logos Immolated 3:48 ░ ░ 9. Fuck-Start My Dinner 2:56 ░ ░ 32:14 ░ ░ ▒ ▒ ▓ █ ░ ▓ ░ ■ █▄ ░ ██ ▀█▄░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ▓ ░ ▄▄▄▄▄ ░▄██░ ░ ▀████▓█▄▄█████████▓░ ███ ███▓░ █████████▄▄██████▀ ▓ ▓▀▓ ▒███████▀▀ ▀████████▒ ░████████▀ ▀▀███████░▓▀▓ ■ ░ ▄█░█▀▀▄████▄▓ ▀█▀ █▓░ ▒▓█ ▀█▀ ▄████▄ ▀███▄░ ▄█▀░ ░███▀▀▀███▄ ▀█▒ ██▓ ██ ▓█▀ ▄███▀▀▀███░ ▀█░ █▀ ▓██▓ ▄███ ▀█▓ ████ ▒█▀ ▓███▄ ▓██▓ ▀█▓ █▀ ▓██░ ▒██████▓ ▀█ █▓ █▀ ▓██████▒ ░██▓ ▀█ ▒ ▄██ ░███ ▓███▓ ▀░██░▀ ▓███░ ███ ██▄ ▒ ░█▀ ███ ▄▀ ███▄ ▓████▒ ▄███▀▄ ███ ▀█░ ▓█▀ ▄██▄█▀ ░ ██████████████ ▀█▄ ██▄ ▀█▓ █▀ ████▀█▄▓░▄█ ▀██████▀ █▄▓░▄█▀█▄██ ▀█▓ ░ ▄ ██▀ ▀████▀ ▀█▓▀██ ▀████▀ ▀███ ▄ ▒ █░█▓ ██░ █░ █ ░██ ▀██▒█ ███░ ▒█░ ▄ ▓ ▒ ░█▒ ▓███ ░ ▓██ ░ ██▓ ██░ ░██ █▒ ░ ░█ ▀█ █▀ ▓ ░ ░