Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph

Well here we are folks, this is is the peak of it all, the truest source of obscure metal ever recorded. It's described best by the band itself as "a cascade of teardrops in blade forms", The Chasm had only hinted at what was to come before Deathcult for Eternity and with great triumph this eerie, sorrowful and punishing album made its way into the universe.

The first thing you should notice is that their style pays tribute to the old masters of metal while sounding completely unique, they make sure that every second of music is not wasted on laziness or filler. It has a natural or supernatural atmosphere of hopelessness, mournfulness and the riffs are used in a way to build up tension as to keep you constantly aware that you aren't listening to something ordinary. Their intention is to smash your soul into another dimension, they take influence from death and black metal mainly, but somehow manage to sound very different to anything you've heard before.

The production has a rawness to it, but is quite an improvement as things are a lot faster and more captivating than "From the Lost Years" and less doom metal. The lyrics, riffs and just general feel of these songs require you to search for the intra essence of your existence, they are vocally expressed in Corchados anguished filled growls and shrieks, which are quite excellent. Their sense of melody is very dissonant and abnormal, the solos all have a place and they seem to invoke miserable landscapes at every opportunity, it's like a constant and tragic journey in search for some kind of truth, spitting at everything superficial in it's path. Just listen to "I'm the Hateful Raven" if you want an example of dense and terrifyingly original riffing. The drums do their job and Antonio is very competent indeed. This is their first masterpeice, the first two albums were close, you could say different to Deathcult, but they weren't quite as spectacular.

It takes a lot more than one sitting to realize this is probably the best death metal album, and if it isn't, then listen to their next two albums after this, they are just as good. The highlights include everything, skipping a track on this album is for cowards.

The Chasm's first three albums are all very different, really; but Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph is much more reminiscent of the band's most recognizable style than the two that came before it. Whereas From the Lost Years... was centered around quality riffs delivered at a plodding tempo, here they bludgeon the listener as breakneck speeds for the majority of the album. This may not be the perfect album for this band, but it is a strong blueprint for what was to come.

The most noticeable difference between From the Lost Years and Deathcult for Eternity is that the latter seems to have rounded out The Chasm's extreme metal influence with a healthy dose of thrash. The band's first two albums were firmly rooted somewhere across the line between death metal and black metal; here, several of the songs are much faster and the drum parts more chaotic. Even the vocals, which had taken a back seat on the previous release, are more throaty and adolescent in their delivery; Daniel Corchado even frequently lets his voice break into a higher Tom Araya-esque shriek. Though this is definitely a noteworthy addition to The Chasm's style, it doesn't define the sound of the entire album; in fact, many of the songs towards the second half of Deathcult (pretty much the whole tracklist beginning with "A Portal to Nowhere" and ending with "In Superior Torment...") have a much greater doom metal influence, drawing from the style that dominated the band's sophomore effort.

The riffs on Deathcult are definitely the strongest The Chasm had delivered up to this point in their career. Ominous and serpentine, they slither together in a dark symphony of chaos. Some of the dissonance that defined the significantly-flawed Procreation of the Inner Temple has been brought back, yet it's much less jarring on these songs; it evokes a feeling of impending doom, rather than create a sense of music amateurism. Unconventional chords and arpeggios are frequent, yet still serve to contribute to the bleak atmosphere of the album. The guitar harmonies are actually quite nice, with each part panned to a different side. The degree of melodicism within said harmonies might be more expected from a band like In Flames or later-era Death; but it works very well in this context.

While The Chasm's first two albums were rather unusual in their production, the sound of Deathcult is not that unusual for a lower-budget death metal release from the late 1990s. It's definitely a far-from-perfect balance between the instruments, but it doesn't have a massively negative impact on the music. The guitars are a bit thin and the bass is very quiet, as is the kick drum; I just don't think it's a big enough issue to knock the album down more than a couple points. It is worth pointing out that the vocals seem to be at varying levels depending on the song; they're quite up-front on tracks like "No Mercy," but are much less discernable on pieces such as "Possessed by Past Tragedies."

I don't think that Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph is The Chasm's first masterpiece, as many seem to believe. The riffs were not quite strong enough yet, the vocals slightly odd in their approach, the mix several steps down from optimal. I do believe, however, that it exhibits Daniel Corchado's best songwriting at the time, and historical context must take some precent when evaluating an older band's earlier discography. It's certainly grown on me over time, but it's nowhere near the colossally unattainable quality of the albums that would come after it. I recommend it only to those who have explored The Chasm's better releases from more recent years who wish to experience the origins of their unique sound. By itself it's quite good, but overshadowed by everything that came after it.

Favorite songs: "Revenge Rises / Drowned in the Mournful Blood," "I'm the Hateful Raven," "A Portal to Nowhere," "Possessed by Past Tragedies (Tragic Shadows)," "Apocalypse," and "The Triumph (of My Loss...)"

While …From the Lost Years was mostly dense and would absorb you into an ancient realm that was long time gone, Deathcult for Eternity might appear to be more of an ‘’superficial’’ effort at first. Here the metallic qualities are far more upfront, but this is still The Chasm we’re talking about - we’re still dealing with unorthodox death metal that’s moody and all that, but one could argue this was the beginning of a new era for the band.

‘’Revenge Rises/Drowning in Blood’’ is something far more threatening the band had unleashed at this point – Daniel Corchado takes you on a journey with his maniac spitting and thrashy riffs; the first minute of the track might as well be inspired by Slayer’s Hell Awaits – an ominous introduction takes place before all hell breaks loose and the track never lets go until it’s over. Next thing you know, ‘’No Mercy’’ is completely different; another riff monster that around the three minute mark resembles Immortal’s Pure Holocaust – that frostbitten tremolo riff appears out of the blue while ‘’I’m the Hateful Raven’’ follows a similar path – the slightly dissonant and blackened touches are something the band hadn’t experienced with before, even if they’re not exactly my thing. These new compositions certainly contribute something different mood-wise and broadly speaking there’s more a sense of triumph and victory floating around than the melancholia of the first two records. See that furious, yet triumphant tremolo riff that appears halfway through in the opening track, or those arpeggios that open up ‘’Chanelling the Bleeding over the Dreams’ Remains’’.

As adventurous as this still is, the majority of the time The Chasm has missed their mark here. Deathcult for Eternity feels more like an album with knock out moments than knock out songs and it’s unfortunate because the aforementioned opener is just fucking brilliant – an opening segment that’s basically pure thrash-inspired and by the time Daniel spits out the first line, you know you’re in for something serious. The track turns into a real ripper with velocity; busy tremolos and beautiful guitar squeals…basically an exciting and promising introduction to this album. ‘’The Triumph’’ is another dope craft; those striking guitars slowly build up to something supreme, making it a superb closer.

But what actually happens in between the opener and the closing track? At worst, Deathcult for Eternity appears to be vague and ineffective; ‘’A Portal to Nowhere’’ is surely aptly titled as it never launches into something fluent - the band sounds at their most confused here, as even they had no real clue what that track was supposed to, but at least the ending guitar lines are quite something. ‘’Apocalypse’’ sounds like a leftover of …From the Lost Years and while things take a somber turn on that track it lacks the raw emotional intensity the tracks on the aforementioned album possessed. Meanwhile you have the more so-so material; ‘’I’m the Hateful Raven’’ certainly sees The Chasm trying, but just doesn’t sound like something the band had mastered, while ‘’Possessed by Past Tragedies’’ feels twice as long as it should have been – I felt myself yearning for that memorable main riff to keep coming back at least.

The Chasm could have gone for something killer, but this is not their best moment and after so many tries I've figured that this is their first forgettable album for me. Go check out the band's first two records instead.

Mexico’s The Chasm had been making waves throughout the 1990s for their emotional and romantic approach to death metal. But it was their third LP, 1998’s ‘Deathcult for Eternity: The Triumph’, that saw them truly consolidate a novel approach to emotional, romantic, epic death metal. This sound has precedents in the likes of Greece’s Varathron and Septic Flesh, and the early works of Amorphis, Therion, and At the Gates. But precedents only tell half the story, this music really pushes the boundaries of the ‘two guitars/one bass, meat/two veg, plug-in and go’ approach to rock music. This album clocks in at nearly an hour but it might as well last an eternity (in a good way).

Production has improved somewhat from previous releases, but it’s by no means astounding for the mid to late 1990s. Vocals are a deep, death metal rasp coated in reverb that allows them to sit perfectly well with these twisted yet epic riffs. The guitars are distorted certainly, but the sound is crisper than much death metal at the time. This balances the impact inherent in all death metal, with the more subtle requirement to make every nuance of the music audible. Again, production wise the drums are nothing remarkable. The playing itself is another prime example of holding the music together without the need to be overly technical. They act as the stitches between each piece of musical fabric, not the star of the show, but nonetheless essential to the final mix.

So what is it that sets ‘Deathcult for Eternity’ apart? This album is the amalgamation of pre-existing styles; the perfection of what had come before, rather than the creation of something completely new. Through the use of a variety of techniques and influences; from thrash riffs, to dissonance, to tremolo strummed melodies, an ever churning and changing brew of neoclassical metal manifests before the listeners ears, all the while maintaining a cohesive structural whole. Whether it be to pummel or depress the listener, to dazzle with a sense of triumph or haunt with dark majesty, no one aim takes precedence over another. So we are presented with death metal that aspires to frame the human condition in all its complexity. This is still extreme music certainly, and an intense listen, but it has arguably surpassed its death metal routes.

But what DFETT lacks in originality, it makes up for in sheer creativity. This is an album one can play often, and it still reveals hidden corners with each new listen, a riff or lead that one did not notice before. This is an album rich in its ambition and scope, and one amongst many in the back catalogue of The Chasm.

Originally published at: Hate Meditations

The Chasm are one of Metal's darlings, having been around for a long time and cranking out a slew of Death Metal epics for the ages, and this one, their much-adored third album Deathcult for Eternity, is generally regarded as their masterpiece. Is this a good album? Certainly. I would not, however, go so far as to proclaim it their best work, much less a crowning achievement in the Death Metal genre.

For those of you who don't know this band yet, let me inform you that they have always pushed the boundaries of what is deemed "acceptable" in this genre, volleying forth with their early blend of Death, Black and Doom and slowly transforming into a more streamlined, focused and aggressive Death Metal beast with the albums following this one. Deathcult is the aural equivalent of a long, winding, apocalyptic voyage through the depths of Hell, alternating between heavy, crushing Death Metal and an oddly blackened sort of hyper-speed blasting, accented with some mellow acoustic guitars here and there that add a degree of demented insanity to the music - such beautiful normalcy combined with the sounds of Hell often have such an effect, a la Cryptopsy's "Phobophile." The best songs here are the first three, which are the most straightforward and punchy of the lot, with "No Mercy" standing out the most, its sharp, biting riffs piercing the listener like the fangs of a wolf, but "Possessed by Past Tragedies" is also quite good, standing out with its somber atmosphere contrasting the usual Death Metal fury.

The Chasm were just starting out here, expanding into their new style with an eager outlook and a lot of good intentions. This can easily be heard here in the frenetic manner of the compositions here, but they are perhaps a bit too frenetic and frenzied. Almost all of the songs here start off great, with the signature The Chasm touch in the riffs and melodies, but, as this was a more juvenile form of the band, they eventually start to meander with a lot of different sections that just don't connect. All the pieces are there, but the songs don't really come together as cohesive wholes, meandering on for six minutes at a time in displays of quite lackluster songwriting. Every song here is kind of like a journey; starting off at one point and ending at another, far away from the origin. This is what most people usually refer to when they say "epic," and while there are bands that can pull it off, including The Chasm on later works, this album just doesn't do it as well as it could. The songs are disjointed and cluttered, changing in tempo and mode constantly, with many things going on all at once. As a result, pretty much every song here starts to run into one another, and none of them are particularly memorable, aside from the obvious fact that the songwriting is so unique. There are so many different elements on display here, from the speedy riffs, the blasting drums, the acoustic guitars and the doomier, slower parts that the whole affair becomes completely bloated, and it becomes pretty tiresome to listen to when one has The Spell of Retribution on hand, instead.

Deathcult is admittedly very good at conveying its Hellish atmosphere, though, with all of the songs flowing together into one giant ball of evil. I can appreciate what makes this a good album; I understand that it mostly thrives on the dark, evil atmosphere the band conveys through their varied melange of instrumentation, but it could have been much better than it was. The Chasm would get better from here, though, with the follow up Procession to the Infraworld being a direct hit on my Metal radar, and the follow-ups getting better and better as the band aged...

The Chasm release perfection part 1. First off the production is a lot better, more clear. The speed is picked up a lot. Daniel Corchado uses his high-pitched wails a lot more, but still has variety in his vocals. The bass isn't as prominent as it was on the first two as the songs are a lot faster, but you can still hear it. The drums sound great. And the guitars, well what can really be said other than this is a Chasm album so they sound amazing.

Every part of every song is simply amazing. This is not an album you put on and only listen to certain songs. When this CD goes into your player you listen to the entire album. I don't like doing the whole song-by-song review but it would be too difficult to pick out specific songs and would be unfair to those not mentioned as every song is pretty much on an even level of greatness so I'm just going to go quickly through each song. Revenge Rises starts the album off with a little minute plus instrumental and then Drowned in the Mournful Blood kicks in. Right away you can tell this album is gonna be very different then From the Lost Years... as it is fucking fast. Great album opener. No Mercy (Our Time is Near) has an amazing solo. I'm the Hateful Raven is one of the absolute best songs off of the album. A Portal to Nowhere might be the best song The Chasm ever wrote. Terrific intro riff, great vocals, great lyrics, insane solo, melodic riffs. Nice solo that fades out to end the song. Brilliant tune! Channeling the Bleeding over the Dream's Remains has more great guitar work and this track really picks up and gets aggressive. Possessed by Past Tragedies (Tragic Shadows) is the most From the Lost Years... sounding, as it's slower and more mournful. The riff that kicks in at 0:53 on Apocalypse is just fucking brilliant! Another one of the best Chasm songs. In Superior Torment has more incredible guitar work and nice little solos throughout. Also has great lyrics with a really powerful line, "I'm the master of myself. Kill. Destroy. Erase all the Mediocrity." The Triumph (Of My Loss) is the album closer. The riff that comes in at 0:26 is just wow. Nice stuff. The song starts aggressive, slows down a bit, gets aggressive again and has a nice solo almost at the ending of the song followed by a nice riff that fades out to end the album.

Don't know what else to add other than this album is simply amazing. Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph is on the same level, if not better than, Slumber of Sullen Eyes, Nespithe, Changes, Unquestionable Presence, Elvenefris and another Chasm album Conjuration of the Spectral Empire. A milestone in death metal and an album that really helped a very boring genre (at the time) that was being "led" by melo-death bands like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames. The Chasm are a band with very, very few peers.

"I Must Find the Root of my Damnation, in every Drop of the Torrid Seas of Sin and in every Night of the Soulless Winds, Bathe in Restless Flames Crush and Slaughter the False Ones..."

First off, I want to give a Hails out to the people that have reviewed this album, I think that they did this album justice...now here is my own 2 cents...The Chasm's Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph is a unique masterpiece. I bought this cd back in April of this year, and it took me about 7 months to fully digest it...at first, I was put off by the high pitched screams, b/c I hate high-pitched vokills, but in my opinion, what Daniel does on this album with his vokills is make them fit perfect with the music, and they sound like they are coming straight from his heart and soul...upon the first couple of listens, A Portal To Nowhere and I'm The Hateful Raven were the standout tracks to me, but now, 7 months later I can see why the other reviewers are saying that this might possibly be one of the best albums out there...Never have I heard such emotions and compositions in Metal of Death...like some reviewers stated, these aren't merely songs, these are compositions...there are no verses and choruses, and the lyrics are quite different too, and I find that Daniel's lyrics are refreshing and very unique, and very very cool...Antonio's drum work is just amazing, his ride cymbal to high-hat fills are perfect, and his drum rolls are excellent compliments to the songs...what Daniel wrote for the acoustic guitars is just simply amazing, Erick is the one that played them for the recording, (according to the booklet all music is by Daniel) and he played them very well...The production fits this album perfectly too, it somehow masterfully seperates all of the instruments, but it has this dry sound that just makes the music even more doomy and gloomy...now I know that I used "perfect" a lot here, but this cd is the about the closest thing I have ever heard to perfect...Also, I love the cover art, and the artwork in the booklet is cool too...All in all, his is one Deep, Dark, Depressive, and Masterful cd...Every song on here sounds like they gave it 1,000%! Deathcult For Eternity: The Triumph is exactly that...A Triumph...

Aaron Miller

To start off…I’m not quite sure how to review this album, as it is very unique and the sound is very hard to explain in words, (hearing it is necessary for full comprehension) and I’m sure I will not be able to do full justice for it, but I’ll do my best. I really should get to the good points of the album, but I will make it easier on people who want to skim by listing some of the things off that will turn away some listeners, first. The way the album‘s structuring is constructed brings classical compositions to mind, and is done very well, even leading some to even dub The Chasm as “neo-classical masters.” However, the way the music is structured may turn some away from it. There are no verse/chorus/verse/chorus song structures here, so if you look for that in music this will probably not interest you, instead there is linear song structuring, with the songs constantly moving forward and not repeating themselves, with the exception of recurring themes. (Galloping riffs, etc.) This album will also turn you off if you aren’t willing to put time into listening to it, as the album reaches nearly an hour in length, which will put some off. If you do put patience into it, however, you will be rewarded with a truly unique album that is an amazing experience to hear, is quite simply beautiful, and is an album that comes as close as possible to reaching something that is in my eyes unachievable…perfection.

The production is alright, it does leave a feeling of something missing, however, it does it’s job ensuring that the instruments can be heard well, but no wall of noise is created by them which would ruin the band’s sound. The production puts the guitars and Daniel Corchado‘s vocals up front, and the drums behind them. Now, enough with the production, onto the music.

The music itself is simply amazing, there’s no other way to put it. It’s clear that the song writing skills of the band are amazing, the album is written to be an epic piece of music, with a grand vision in mind, and progresses forward constantly, all the while providing recurring themes at appropriate times that allow it to flow along fluidly and transition well as it moves from theme to theme. This is an album clearly meant to be listened to from beginning to end as one musical piece, rather than song by song. As the songs progress complex, beautiful melodies interplay with rhythmic guitar riffing, painting a beautiful picture of sound, casting you off to an apocalyptic wasteland, and creating a sort of desolate and despairing atmosphere, as the drums assault you from a distance, adding to the affect. Daniel Corchado’s vocals are top notch, with him seeming to effortlessly move from a deep death metal growl to a tortured scream with the vocals somehow being very fitting to the music, and adding more to the already amazing atmosphere, and the music while being so filled with beauty and melody, still is clearly death metal. Quite simply, this is an amazing musical journey that has yet to be matched in my eyes, and probably never will. You must simply hear it to understand.

It’s very simple: This band is truly unique, and this may not fit your tastes, but you can’t accuse them of being derivative for sure. This is something that must be heard to fully understand, and by all means should be. If you wish to be enlightened in truly creative death metal, pick up this album, it nears perfection.