Review Summary: This EP makes a new voice out of old school death metal.
Making a voice of its own out of the fertile ground left by old school death metal, Blaspherian combines the thunderous riffing of primitive death metal with the cryptic song structures of occult black metal. This creates "riff poems" that approach a topic, work themselves through an understanding of it, and then withdraw into an atmosphere of crushing heaviness.
In other words, <i>Allegiance to the Will of Damnation</i> uses the simple riffs in complex formulations that made bands like Morpheus Descends and Asphyx favorites among the old school. Riffs range from faster more complex riffs to one-chord rhythm riffs on which it floats as if on a cushion of air; the band likes to use a simple riff in a complex rhythmic context to transition between verse and chorus. Blaspherian also employ a number of one- and two-chord rhythm riffs that ride an unsyncopated rhythm into bounding, pummeling heaviness.
Vocals resemble the occult rantings of Sadistic Intent or Resuscitator, and song pacing calls to mind the spirit of the aforementioned Asphyx. Songs come together from two or three riffs, and reconfigure these in bizarre patterns reminiscent of Celtic Frost, repeating riffs in new contexts as if decrypting the Qabalah in moonlight.
While this EP does not come to us with a new take on the metal style, it does bring a new voice, and that it fashions this voice from cavernous old school riff groups does not make a difference. It shows us a vision, ambiguous and dark, of an esoteric reality which we the fans of aggressive deathlike music would like to visit.
