Review Summary: Multi-layered cosmic laments
Gabriele Gramaglia's death metal entity Cosmic Putrefaction has made a name for itself in recent years as one of the most interesting projects of its kind. Its style, which houses an old-school sound under spacey aesthetics, has the peculiarity of infusing a certain modernity into a genre often stuck in the past. While it seems counter-intuitive given its retro foundations, I couldn't help but feel a sense of contemporaneity when revisiting the two previous albums, especially
The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers. There's something about Gabriele's music that sets it apart from its peers. A cluster of layers that lends it a personality of its own while positioning it in the present. The occasional deathgrind bursts blended with the OSDM murky ambiance and exquisite hybrid riffing, which gathers various influences, build a soundscape of uncannily up-to-date textures. The massive grind(ish) riff on 'From Resounding Silence to the Obsidian Womb' is maybe the most evident example of the multifaceted mark Gabriele imbues in his death metal formula; enriching it, making it more overwhelming and diverse. Cosmic Putrefaction's third album,
Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones, is thus an offering that doesn't limit itself to orthodox boundaries, carrying on the defiant spirit of
The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers.
While there are obvious bridges with previous releases, both musically and conceptually, this new chapter presents a somewhat different look and feel, more varied and luminous, fruit of Gabriele's restless creative mind. The acoustic moments in 'Amniotic Bewilderment' and 'Twisting Spirals in the Murk' or the surprising melodic lead in the title track deliver more color to the songwriting, broadening its spectrum. There's a subtle cloak of attractiveness enveloping the music that unveils catchy hues throughout the journey. Like small, colorful crystals glittering in a black cave. The Ebow guitars and synth layers (sometimes too high in the mix) that sprout in tracks like 'Sol's Upheaval Debris', 'Lysergic Sulfuric Waters' or 'Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones' enhance this alluring aura while adding more atmosphere to the music. As on the previous album, the closing track is the one that most explores these spacey nuances. Everything is more crystalline and immediate when compared to
The Horizons Towards Which Splendour Withers, giving it a distinct, more accessible character. One feels that, although stylistically coherent, the album represents a new stage in Cosmic Putrefaction's journey; not a deja-vu. A quality that lends it relevance and contemporaneity.
Gabriele's songwriting not only remains top notch, it has evolved. His killer hybrid riffing that gathers death, black and deathgrind in a lethal combination of tremolo picking and power chords sounds more inspired than ever. The aforementioned grind(ish) riff of 'From Resounding Silence to the Obsidian Womb' or the massive bridge on 'Sol's Upheaval Debris' are only two examples of a diverse multi-layered menu. Gabriele is a talented musician who masters not only all instruments but also sound engineering, which allows him complete control over his music. And
Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones mirrors just that. There's a common narrative to all eight songs, so coherent and cohesive that it could only have come from a single source. Even the drumming, now in the hands of Giulio Galati (Nero di Marte, Hideous Divinity) seems to roam under his baton, following a previously written script. This strong character, together with Cosmic Putrefaction's multifaceted songwriting, lends not only particular singularity to the music but also gives it tremendous replay value.
Through his third chapter,
Crepuscular Dirge for the Blessed Ones, multi-instrumentalist Gabriele Gramaglia keeps exploring challenging territories by shaping a multi-layered death metal that is as vicious and filthy as it is catchy. A somewhat singular formula that places Cosmic Putrefaction in the present, solidifying it as a metal entity to be reckoned with.
