Before you read this review, I invite you to deeply inhale. Breathe in all the air around you. Now close your eyes for a few seconds and hold that breath. After a few seconds, open your eyes and exhale. Repeat. Notice that when your eyes are closed, there is nothing but pitch blackness. It’s almost as if with the slight move of a muscle, we’re transported to another realm where darkness is light and oblivion is existence. If this not so distant universe had a soundtrack, it’d be the latest album from Suffering Hour, The Cyclic Reckoning.
Being the extreme metal curmudgeon that I am, it’s uncharacteristic of me to explore any black or death metal that strays from the groundwork laid for both genres 35 years ago. It just so turns out that Suffering Hour plays a little bit of both, albeit very unorthodox takes on both, with smatterings of goth, prog, and avant-garde for good measure. There’s nothing “new” in what they’re doing per se. The origins of “dissonant metal”, “bleak metal”, “voidgaze”, or whatever the hell Pitchfork chooses to call it these days originated in the late 90s and early 2000s with bands like Gorguts and Deathspell Omega. What Suffering Hour does well is stand out from the pack with a sound that’s distinctly theirs, yet pays homage to the titans of yore.
The Cyclic Reckoning consists of five lengthy pieces, the first being “Strongholds of Awakening”. This track really establishes the album’s ethos. It’s death metal conjured from a deep, dark abyss. What’s most noticeable is the unique guitar sound of YhA. Drenched in a sea of chorus, the riffs sound like a goth rock Gorguts who’s possessed by atmospheric black metal. “Transcending Antecedent Visions” follows. It’s chock full of meaty old school riffs, yet tinged with proggy obscurity. What can I say folks? Brain scratching music calls for brain scratching descriptions. “The Abrasive Black Dust Part II” serves as the album’s midway point. The first couple minutes weave a delicate tapestry of mesmerizing guitars. This calm before the storm gives way to an anxiety inducing blast of dismality, before slowly returning back to the calm which started the song.
The album’s last two cuts, “Obscuration” and “The Foundations of Servitude”, is where Suffering Hour starts to lose me. For one, both of these tracks lean more on black metal than death metal. I’ve always preferred the latter to the former. That said, this isn’t to dismiss both song’s unique qualities. “Obscuration” is an all out black metal blitz on the brain. Meanwhile, the 16 minute “The Foundations of Servitude” is where all of the album’s elements coalesce into one giant musical mindfuck. If the halfway point of “The Abrasive Black Dust Part II” was “anxiety inducing”, then certain sections of “The Foundations of Servitude” are full blown schizophrenic breakdowns rivalling the most frantic moments of John Wetton era King Crimson. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
For most in the metal underground better versed in this style than I, The Cyclic Reckoning is likely to be an album of the year contender. For me, it’s an enjoyable listen in a style purposely focused on being unenjoyable. Suffering Hour is musically ambitious, yet without being self-indulgent. There is indeed a method to their madness. If we keep our eyes closed long enough, we just might see it.
6 out of 10
Label: Profound Lore Records
Genre: Blackened Death Metal
For fans of: Gorguts, The Chasm, Deathspell Omega