Howls of Ebb is a two-man avantgarde black metal project featuring frontman Zee-Luuuvft-Huund and drummer Roteen' Blisssss. The writing of their latest album, 'Cursus Impasse: The Pendlomic Vows', is described as "chaotic and unpredictable," but not anarchic. "It is meticulously sculpted and refined, designed to disorient and mesmerize in equal measure. The effect is both captivating and unsettling." Allegedly influenced by early exposure to Kansas City's Order From Chaos, this is a duo on the verge of some other unearthly dimension.
The album opens with my personal favorite, The 6th Octopul'th Grin. If you needed a reason to listen to the rest of this LP, they could not have picked a better track to kick things off. Insanely technical and utterly maniacal, this is the sound of a billion neurons misfiring and turning genius to madness. The drumming alone is enough to give you a headache both due to impact and confusion. This is smartly followed up with the slower, but no less unusual, Cabals of Molder; a song that sounds like the grinding of old machinery in dire need of some oil and maintenance.
Much like the works of Malthusian or Imperial Triumphant, Howls of Ebb like to layer and transition through a number of styles, textures, and time signatures: all of them equally depraved. Blackened death growls overlap in an intensely ominous and captivating performance. Guitars chug, churn, and bend their way in a manner that should surely break them. Whether engaging in the slow burn that ignites the carnival bedlam of Maat Mons' Fume or hitting full force with the furiously turning cogs of Subliminal Lock - A Precursor to V, Howls of Ebb like to utilize their instruments in dissonant, untraditional ways. But it's never at the expense of the songwriting.
So what say you? Do you like hearing the sound of guitar strings being fed through a garbage disposal? Drums meticulously following the pace of a broken metronome? The devil himself presiding over all proceedings? Maybe you're into anything from Portal to Carpathian Forest. If any of that sounds like you, strap yourself onto a cold slab and receive thy punishment. Even the few dark ambient moments are worth your time. Check out the full stream right now below.