I rarely find myself thrown for a loop. However, Ehnahre, are the band that have finally both confused and scared me in the same sitting. Even from the cover art, I knew I was in for something different. The music on this release is soul destroying. I haven’t heard anything as wretched and dark as this since Disembowelment’s The Transcendence Of The Peripheral.
If you know and love that album rejoice because Ehnahre are right for you. The cover art is epically disturbing. Imagine a human ouroboros, but instead of a snake eating its tail, imagine Siamese twins feasting on each other and subsequently themselves. It is messed up and the fact that it’s drawn so crudely also adds to the gross out factor.
Even in my worst nightmares I couldn’t conceive of something as dark and foreboding as this album. The guitars are down-tuned and many times John Carchia uses them for noise rather than actual playing. That’s not to downplay his talent as a guitarist; it’s to exult his skills as an artist. This music sounds like the inside of a serial killer’s mind and Ryan McGuire gives voice to the killer with his caustic vocals. He sounds as though someone ripped out his soul while he was growling.
Imagine an incredibly slow Meshuggah with way less in terms of actual notes being played. The dissonances parallel so distinctly with the silences that you’ll think you’re hearing things at some points that aren’t even there (at least, I don’t think they are). They even bring in violins for some songs and the grating twang of a violin coupled with slow power chord sections makes for a menacing feel. If you’re a fan of Disembowelment, Gorguts or other extreme experimental bands you might find this to be the breath of fresh air you were looking for. This is a release only for the brave.
In A Word: Abstruse
