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‘Poisonous Disengagement’ may be the first release from the Canadian Black Metal outfit The Projectionist but it’s masterminded by rapidly emerging Black Metal maestro Lord Matzigkeitus, who is becoming a force to be reckoned with in the Black Metal community. This project is just part of the much bigger picture which he has developed over the last twenty-four months that now consists of: an EP, a split release with ‘Unrest’, a pending full length from his other Black Metal band ‘Idolatry’ and a Black Metal spoken word album, ‘Isophillic Dementia Overture’. Add to that a book of Black Metal poetry, ‘Catharsis Spoke her Virtuous Evil’ which features many of the lyrics from all of these releases, including this latest offering, which I consider to be his best work so far .
Other contributions on this release are from Parageist from Vile Insignia covering lead guitars, along with PaganWolf and multi instrumentalist The Priest ( from one man ambient Back Metal project Ov Enochian), with Belchior on drums and production duties handled by ‘Destroyer of Unrest’. Sound-wise Lord Matzigkeitus has gone for an traditional style Black Metal again but with a dirtier rawer edge than with ‘Idolatry’ and also with subtle experimentation by adding elements of drone and noise-scapes, as on the intro, ‘As the Winter Moon Rises’. This was a heady mix of distorted guitars and noise as was the wonderfully bleak ‘Grieve Days into New Wine’, with its intriguingly bizarre overlay towards the close.
Vocally he has upped his game considerably. With Idolatry they were very much about the aesthetic effect, but here there is a greater degree of clarity to the delivery. They are still harsh and offer an excellent range from blackened gutturals, deep deranged laughs to high rasping vitriolic. You can hear the lyrics fairly clearly most of the time, something I am really pleased about because the content is superbly intense, esoteric and thought provoking. Another vocal aspect I like is the way the production has sometimes placed the vocals to the back of the guitars giving a distant feel, as on the earlier part of ‘Epilepsy Opera’ so it has the effect of drawing you right into the track so it engulfs you as you concentrate on the lyrical content. Elsewhere they come more to the fore, as on the latter part of the same track, so they become a focal point where the vocals take on a dialogue between the high vitriolic vocals and deeper harsh vocals, whilst standing their ground against the intense wave of riffing.
I think whole album is excellent but there are a few tracks which caught my attention more than others. ‘Tongueless Lingering Screams of DeSade’, for me, epitomises Black Metal. A straightforward track, but I think it’s that combination of fast, blackened riffing and broad ranging vocals giving a full on, in your face delivery, making it an utterly exciting listen. It just sends the blood pulsating through your veins and the final track, ’Claustrophobic Death Yearnings’ is a complete contrast , slower in tempo, with a morbid edge to the riffs, with layers of distortion adding to that edge that comes from the high, acidic and evil edged vocal delivery . The other was ‘Most Imperative Self-Harm’. I love the depressive edge to the blackened dirty riffs and the greater use of spoken lyrics alongside hugely extended dusty roars and the way the riffs fall away dramatically in a very off kilter manner .
‘Poisonous Disengagement’ will be released on Humanity’s Plague Productions ( USA ).
Review: Jools Green
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