Slovenian progressive death metal band Siderean first emerged back in 2020 as a rebranding of sorts for Teleport, who had spent the past decade exploring technical and progressive thrash before pivoting to more of a death metal sound on the appropriately titled Ascendance and The Expansion EPs. With the Siderean name in place the songwriting continued to shift, and 2021’s Lost on Void’s Horizon placed an emphasis on material that bridged the complex and accessible with sprawling, denser riffs. Three years later the group has returned with Spilling the Astral Chalice, which follows some of the same ebb and flow as its predecessor but tweaks the formula in ways that continue to feel unique.
Like the group’s previous full length, Spilling the Astral Chalice spends equal amounts of time bludgeoning the listener with dense and always changing instrumentation alongside calmer and spacey moments that really let the cosmic, otherworldly atmosphere stand out. Opener “The Sacred Sea” emphasizes the harsher edge of the spectrum with an ebb and flow that makes it sound like the riffs are churning back and forth like the waves in an ocean, and the blasting drums and harsher tonality of the leads result in a battering effect that doesn’t let up for the four-and-a-half-minute run-time. Even this early on Siderean’s technical prowess is evident, as there’s a sense of precision to the attack and they don’t lose a beat no matter how often the material jumps around. This is also true on “Visions”, which blasts you into an almost hypnotic state as the guitar and bass explore spacey ideas. Admittedly it took me a bit to come around to this song, as it spends a lot of time building incrementally over nine minutes through repetition and things do drag a bit. But over time it’s grown on me and there are specific sections where the riffs really shine, plus it naturally ties into where the instrumentals head later. “Forces” has a similar flow but injects a bit more melody into the mix, as around the two-and-a-half-minute mark the distortion fades out entirely and the guitar work has a looser, jazzier tone that leads well into the harsher elements. The second half of Spilling the Astral Chalice spends a lot of time exploring these softer ideas, and that’s where the album starts to really feel different from the rest of the band’s discography. “Emerald Age” continues the jazz and ambient vibe with expansive melodies and synthesizer work that somehow brings imagery of smoky bars and outer space at the same time. “The Coming Tides” and “To Build Ruins” use these natural pauses to great effect, letting the melodies expand to room filling levels before unleashing a sheer wall of aggressive riffing. Newcomers are likely to hear hints of Gorguts and Blood Incantation, but the lush and jazzier/70’s prog sound pushes Siderean into their own space.
Vocalist Jan Brišar keeps things on the death metal end of the spectrum for much of Spilling the Astral Chalice, but there are some unexpected nuances to his performance. In the first few minutes of “The Sacred Sea” you will hear a slew of different pitches, ranging from cavernous and guttural growls to yells and distorted chants, which gives Siderean a bit more variety than some of the other progressive death metal band out there. “Emerald Age” is where the vocals showcase something even more different, as Brišar moves between higher shrieks/screams and lower growls that seem even more intense due to the softer and ethereal melodies they are over top of. While the songwriting continues to orient itself towards extended instrumental passages, there remains enough nuance to the vocal performance to keep things interesting.
The second half of Siderean’s sophomore effort stands out just a bit more due to some of the emphasis on repetition and subtle tweaks on the earlier songs, but there’s plenty here to keep listeners coming back for some time to come. The flourishes of softer prog and jazzier rhythms give a different feel from some of the other progressive death metal out there, and the band has given listeners plenty of sections that have staying power mixed in with the technical showmanship. It’s been exciting to watch them push their ideas to new levels, and on album two they’re already a must listen. Spilling the Astral Chalice is available from Edged Circle Productions.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg