Band – Atemporal
Album – Thorn Genesis
Country of Origin – Canada
Genre – Black Metal
Release Date – April 7, 2023
Label – I, Voidhanger Records
Author – Hayduke X
Strange riffs are accompanied by hoarse, breathy shouts raging through the microphone. Off-kilter drumming flirts with the hard angles and edges of the riffs while a low rumble thrums in the background. The Great Warding is a bizarre take on black metal, dragging the listener ever deeper into a seemingly never-ending pit spiraling into oblivion. Check it out for yourself, then drop below the player for my full review.
Atemporal is the new solo project of Sebastian Montesi who is involved with Auroch, Mitochondrion, and more. For this release, he takes care of everything, and he does so with a mastery of composition and attention to detail in his songwriting. He also mixed the album himself, allowing the hard edges to punch through.
Thorn Genesis mixes elements of black and death metal together in a spiny, avant garde malevolence. The album is vicious and abrasive, but there are moments of beauty interspersed throughout. Even then, it’s generally a cold beauty, awash with disdain.
One aspect that really stands out to me is the riffing. This certainly makes sense given that guitar is Montesi’s main instrument. Not only are the riffs sharp and interesting, but they are often incredibly strange, coming out of left field, but fitting incredibly well in the fabric of the album.
Thorn Genesis is akin to a necromancer preparing a spell of re-animation of the rancorous death, all while listening to Eddie Van Halen in one ear and Voivod in the other. A truly unsettling experience.
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
