The Pitch: Nuclear War Now! Productions presents the anticipated follow up to Transient, the critically lauded album from atmospheric death metal entity Chaos Echoes. FFO: Miserist, Abyssal, Portal
What I Like: Mouvement is an intoxicating album filled with palpable darkness and overwhelmingly ominous atmosphere. Somehow I managed to sleep on Transient, but fortunately I will not make the same mistake twice. And nevermind the the fact that this album is largely instrumental, save for the opening snarls and eerie closing choral ambience, But thanks to the highly expressive guitars and drumming, Mouvement rests easily on the laurels of its arrangments. The variation in style and tone make for a highly immersive and haunting experience.
Some tracks are built on a more technical, dissonant approach a la Imperial Triumphant or Abyssal ("Embodied By Perfidious...") while others are more groovy and hypnotic ("As An Embraceable"). In the case of the latter, the bass guitar really shines as a critical element in addition to the expertly crafted droning noise arrangments. Taken as a whole, there is certainly influence from the likes of Deathspell Omega, leading to further parallels with groups like Skáphe. Regardless, everything flows so smoothly from on track to the next to create something impressively seemless. Even the titles seem to form a dark poem of sorts.
Critiques: They could have punched up a few more climactic points amidst the gloom, but thanks to the tight runtime it still ends up working quite well. Any longer and we might have had more issues in terms of flow.
The Verdict: As An Embraceable Magma..., Embodied By Perfidious Curls..., Surrounded And Amazed...
Flight's Fav's: Chaos Echoes have done it again. Energetic, live performances, smooth songwriting, and focused vision all make Mouvement one of the first great albums of 2018. There isn't a bad song on this album, and giving it a listen from start to finish will leave you in an unshakeable trance.
-Review by FlightOfIcarus
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.