Ellorsith’s 1959 possesses a gravitas rarely heard in a band’s first release. Inspired by the Dyatlov Pass Incident of 1959, in which nine ski hikers died mysteriously during a night on the northern Ural Mountains, the music is a fitting representation of the event’s cold and cryptic nature.
Opener “Vvedénije” (it sounds spooky until you realise it’s simply Russian for “introduction”) sets the tone for the rest of the demo, with haunting choirs and a brief spoken word sample in Russian, before “Susurration” commences an assault of ominous tremolos and ferocious blasting. “Marasmus” is a slower number that takes its time to develop, eventually culminating in soaring guitar leads and a flurry of double bass, while “Lichryre” is a lumbering giant with a greater focus on slow but deadly chords. The drumming on this track is very fluid, with particularly excellent cymbal usage.
The nine-minute closer “Compelling Natural Force” hints at, oddly enough, Ved Buens Ende, with all its angular riffing and highly syncopated drumwork. Around the three minute mark, it launches effortlessly into a discordant arpeggio, reminiscent of Deathspell Omega, before dying down to a spiralling, monolithic dirge… and just when you least expect it, the choirs from “Vvedénije” return, forming an unexpected but surprisingly effective bookend to 1959.
While Ellorsith’s sound can quite easily be summarised as death/black metal – the vocals hardly ever deviate from a caustic, earthen growl, and the drumming is mostly confined to alternating blastbeats with slower double bass sections – it’s the unorthodox riffing style that sets it apart from the rest of their contemporaries. 1959 is soaked with a constant, unshakeable aura of dread, so perhaps some might find it similar to the recent Phobocosm album, which captures a similar vibe. As I previously mentioned, it also bears some resemblance to Ved Buens Ende and Deathspell Omega, so fans of serpentine dissonance will definitely find something to enjoy here. Overall, 1959 is a highly promising release, and I’m certainly eager to hear more from Ellorsith.
There’s a found footage horror movie called Devil’s Pass about the Dyatlov Incident, came out last year. Directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger). It’s okay, has a screwy twist.
Great descriptions and writeup! Will check this out.
on Oct 17th, 2014 at 07:14This is pretty cool! The riffing is twisted but catchy and largely accessible. Reading up on the Dylatov Incident is super creepy too.
on Oct 17th, 2014 at 15:19whooooaaa shit.
on Oct 21st, 2014 at 13:41