Paroxsihzem is a Canadian extreme metal group who not too long ago released a split with another group I was quite fond of last year, Adversarial. Somewhat similar in style, these guys rip through some truly blackened, lo fi death metal. The production is absolutely soul-suckiong, like some black hole to a more hellish dimension. Listening to Abyss of Excruciating Vexes is really just that: sitting in a deep hole filled with discomforts. If you are prone to depression, I would not consider this to be doctor recommended.
The album is a bit strange and counter-intuitive in many ways. The instrumentation itself packs a lot of kick. The snare drum blasts, furious guitar riffs, and contemptuous death growls are both energetic and menacing. And yet the mood is completely unlike that of Adversarial. If anything, we are dipping into the realms of Ulcerate; where extremity and technical showmanship serve to generate a much more isolated aesthetic. It's the difference between walking on a dark night with a group versus going it alone.
All this to say that Abyss of Excruciating Vexes is a dark record with no sense of hope. The excellent musicianship that goes into tracks like "BZ Experiment" serves as little solace as we suffocate and sink into the muck and the mire. Hell, there's even a track that is outright called "Isolation" on here. This is 25 minutes of your own personal re-enactment of the reprogramming scene from A Clockwork Orange.
If Malcom McDowell couldn't take it, what chance do you have?
But hey, if your primary care provider says it's okay, why not? You're a bit of a masochist aren't you? I suppose there are worse and more expensive ways to go about getting your sick little rocks off, so there's that. If you are into the deepest, ugliest depths of death metal, Paroxsihzem is most certainly the band for you. Just don't say I didn't warn you.