DSKRTN - Cyber-Cataclysm of Nuclear Typhoeus and Entropy Beyond the Flesh Codex
Breaking free from the depths of Tartarus.
Whenever I cover Greek bands, I tend to discuss how I’m surprised to see artists who exist beyond the confines of what one might expect of the country’s usual scenes, be they black or thrash metal. As I’ve taken it upon myself to focus primarily on releases from my home country over the past year or so, I’ve had the pleasure of stumbling upon some outliers that I don’t think I’d have found had it not been for this self-imposed limitation. DSKRTN (if anyone knows how to pronounce this, hit me up) is one such find, and arguably one of the most surprising ones thus far, as war metal hasn’t ever been a sound Greece was known for, given the country’s predilection to melancholy and arcane splendour. As you can imagine, a record as barbarous as Cyber-Cataclysm of Nuclear Typhoeus and Entropy Beyond the Flesh Codex wasn’t something I thought I’d find in the process of writing these reviews, but here we are.
I must confess that in my first encounter with DSKRTN, my mind immediately went to the Indian war metallers in Tetragrammacide, and at a glance it’s not hard to see why. “War metal with elements of noise” is a highly specific subcategory of an already specific niche, and the aesthetic of “Wrathful mythological figure wearing a gas mask so as to bridge an archaic cataclysmic force with the modern threat of nuclear apocalypse” was not lost on me, and neither were the overly long titles with their obtuse esotericism. Thankfully, the band was quick to dash any and all preconceived notions, as the similarities begin and end at the aesthetic level and the bare fundamentals involved in playing war metal.
For one, noise is an integral part of the band’s sound, far beyond its employment as an intro and outro to the record, its presence felt on each track. However, it must be said that the thrumming, pulsing, screeching, and droning that appear here do unfortunately limit themselves to the beginning and ending of each song, rendering these segments a little predictable upon repeat listens, especially given the fact that they’re noticeably calmer than the primitive bludgeoning of the metallic portions. Nevertheless, they do set the tone nicely, and their brevity doesn’t hurt the pacing much either, their ominous nature promulgating the chaos championed by songs like “The Ancestral Ophic Phallus…” and “Drakonian Opium Murder”. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making noise seem like padding on a metal album, but the issue here is for the most part deftly sidestepped by its careful structuring and use on each track, despite the predictability that comes with their appearances.
I’d also have to give special mention to the leads within this context, even if they are arguably part of the music’s metallic carapace. They are bereft of any sort of tunefulness, brief manic stabs of high-pitched derangement that cut through the low-end rhythms, the less-developed licks acting as accents to the riffing. Metal fans – including me to an extent – tend to think of noise as a byproduct of the production process, or the result of conscious use of synths and other instruments, so seeing someone conjure up this added layer of hostility by taking the mantra of “Extreme metal guitar playing needs to sound as unappealing as possible” one step closer to its logical conclusion makes for an interesting turn of events.
As for the riffing, it’s war metal alright. DSKRTN doesn’t hide under any pretenses as to what they’re aiming for. It’s messy, and to describe it as composed by a caveman wouldn’t be wholly inaccurate, particularly during those mid-paced portions. The knuckle-dragging goodness on tracks like “The Archegonous King…” and the oppressive pulse maintained by the aforementioned “The Ancestral Ophic Phallus…” serve as excellent changes of pace when contrasted with the cyclonic faster passages, and manage to make the most out of the thick tones that define both the six- and four-stringers here. Truth be told, it’s easier to hold onto the riffs played if you focus on the bass, as its slightly less distorted sound manages to peer through the droning hum of the actual guitars, which serve an almost ambient role despite following along to the rhythms. It strikes a balance between war metal’s penchant to render the faster parts into ill-defined mush, and the more textural aspects that indirectly inform the genre on occasion, without losing the forcefulness inherent to it.
That being said, the two songs that bookend the album, “The Trishful-Borne Subjugation…” and “Occult Military Doctrine” suffer from a feeling of redundancy, as “Chaos Architect of Cosmic Desecration” makes for a devastating finale to the whole experience. The former is a minute-long barrage that lacks anything particularly memorable, and would’ve been better positioned in the midst of the tracklist. “Occult Military Doctrine” follows suit, albeit with the added difference that it is followed by a prolonged improvisational electronic/noise part, that does little except fill up space and pad things out, the sole exception to what I had previously brought up in regards to its use here. It actually takes away from the otherwise succinct nature of the record, something that war metal tends to thrive on. Palate cleansers like that do have a purpose, and though some records necessitate their being placed in the end, I find that war metal needs to either keep said cleansers brief, or omit them altogether and ensure that things end on an appropriately explosive note.
Despite my misgivings with it, I find that Cyber-Cataclysm of Nuclear Typhoeus… is brimming with potential, as not only does G12S15P4 have a good grasp on what makes the genre click, but also in how he approaches noise within its context. It’s evident that all the components for a good album are there, what’s left is finding out how to arrange them in a way that manages to make said album come into being. It’s tantalising really, to have something that you already enjoy as is but simultaneously having it be so close, yet so far away, from realising its true potential. All the same, it remains a fascinating anomaly within the Greek scene, one whose development I intend to keep a close eye on.
Highlights: The Ancestral Ophic Phallus, Drakonian Opium Murder, Chaos Architect of Cosmic Desecration
I must confess that in my first encounter with DSKRTN, my mind immediately went to the Indian war metallers in Tetragrammacide, and at a glance it’s not hard to see why. “War metal with elements of noise” is a highly specific subcategory of an already specific niche, and the aesthetic of “Wrathful mythological figure wearing a gas mask so as to bridge an archaic cataclysmic force with the modern threat of nuclear apocalypse” was not lost on me, and neither were the overly long titles with their obtuse esotericism. Thankfully, the band was quick to dash any and all preconceived notions, as the similarities begin and end at the aesthetic level and the bare fundamentals involved in playing war metal.
For one, noise is an integral part of the band’s sound, far beyond its employment as an intro and outro to the record, its presence felt on each track. However, it must be said that the thrumming, pulsing, screeching, and droning that appear here do unfortunately limit themselves to the beginning and ending of each song, rendering these segments a little predictable upon repeat listens, especially given the fact that they’re noticeably calmer than the primitive bludgeoning of the metallic portions. Nevertheless, they do set the tone nicely, and their brevity doesn’t hurt the pacing much either, their ominous nature promulgating the chaos championed by songs like “The Ancestral Ophic Phallus…” and “Drakonian Opium Murder”. It’s easy to fall into the trap of making noise seem like padding on a metal album, but the issue here is for the most part deftly sidestepped by its careful structuring and use on each track, despite the predictability that comes with their appearances.
I’d also have to give special mention to the leads within this context, even if they are arguably part of the music’s metallic carapace. They are bereft of any sort of tunefulness, brief manic stabs of high-pitched derangement that cut through the low-end rhythms, the less-developed licks acting as accents to the riffing. Metal fans – including me to an extent – tend to think of noise as a byproduct of the production process, or the result of conscious use of synths and other instruments, so seeing someone conjure up this added layer of hostility by taking the mantra of “Extreme metal guitar playing needs to sound as unappealing as possible” one step closer to its logical conclusion makes for an interesting turn of events.
As for the riffing, it’s war metal alright. DSKRTN doesn’t hide under any pretenses as to what they’re aiming for. It’s messy, and to describe it as composed by a caveman wouldn’t be wholly inaccurate, particularly during those mid-paced portions. The knuckle-dragging goodness on tracks like “The Archegonous King…” and the oppressive pulse maintained by the aforementioned “The Ancestral Ophic Phallus…” serve as excellent changes of pace when contrasted with the cyclonic faster passages, and manage to make the most out of the thick tones that define both the six- and four-stringers here. Truth be told, it’s easier to hold onto the riffs played if you focus on the bass, as its slightly less distorted sound manages to peer through the droning hum of the actual guitars, which serve an almost ambient role despite following along to the rhythms. It strikes a balance between war metal’s penchant to render the faster parts into ill-defined mush, and the more textural aspects that indirectly inform the genre on occasion, without losing the forcefulness inherent to it.
That being said, the two songs that bookend the album, “The Trishful-Borne Subjugation…” and “Occult Military Doctrine” suffer from a feeling of redundancy, as “Chaos Architect of Cosmic Desecration” makes for a devastating finale to the whole experience. The former is a minute-long barrage that lacks anything particularly memorable, and would’ve been better positioned in the midst of the tracklist. “Occult Military Doctrine” follows suit, albeit with the added difference that it is followed by a prolonged improvisational electronic/noise part, that does little except fill up space and pad things out, the sole exception to what I had previously brought up in regards to its use here. It actually takes away from the otherwise succinct nature of the record, something that war metal tends to thrive on. Palate cleansers like that do have a purpose, and though some records necessitate their being placed in the end, I find that war metal needs to either keep said cleansers brief, or omit them altogether and ensure that things end on an appropriately explosive note.
Despite my misgivings with it, I find that Cyber-Cataclysm of Nuclear Typhoeus… is brimming with potential, as not only does G12S15P4 have a good grasp on what makes the genre click, but also in how he approaches noise within its context. It’s evident that all the components for a good album are there, what’s left is finding out how to arrange them in a way that manages to make said album come into being. It’s tantalising really, to have something that you already enjoy as is but simultaneously having it be so close, yet so far away, from realising its true potential. All the same, it remains a fascinating anomaly within the Greek scene, one whose development I intend to keep a close eye on.
Highlights: The Ancestral Ophic Phallus, Drakonian Opium Murder, Chaos Architect of Cosmic Desecration
Rating: 70%
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