Lurker of Chalice

The military intro "I" involuntarily disposes the listener to the martial spirit of the album, as if advises to prepare for the black metal attack. And although after an unexpected acoustic guitar bridge (quite lyrical) at the beginning of "Piercing Where They Might" we do hear black metal, however, I dare say, the real purpose of the first song is to mislead the listener.

In the meantime, it will be noted that black metal from Lurker of Chalice is quite strange. If anything, it raises a red flag: the "primary area" of the composition isn't by the usual sharp guitar but by some technogenic / industrial sound, which creates a very anxious and nervous atmosphere (actually this is what is required for black metal). Most likely, the guitar as such "generates" this strange sound – in this case, it's more about the effects than the guitar itself. Furthermore the rasp and harsh vocals whip up nervousness of the composition. The net result is that suspense is a distinctive feature of Lurker of Chalice and its sound. This is both delightfully and unfathomably: a heavy and monotonous atmosphere generates suspense or suspense generates this dead atmosphere?

Well, such notable black metal (we're still talking about "Piercing Where They Might") suddenly gives way to a slow atmospheric episode with a penetrating solo guitar and acoustic guitar strumming (it's a real apocalyptic folk), accompanied with the doomed howling. It could be said that this is just the original finishing of the black metal composition, but the fact is that it seems to be true Lurker of Chalice.

Henceforward we'll meet with fast black metal from Lurker of Chalice only in the sixth song "This Blood Falls as Mortal (Part III)" – at 6:36 it accelerates to the (almost) black metal attack, but not for long: in the end the composition develops into some kind of industrial. Well, the seventh "Granite" is also almost black metal, but again the guitar is turned here into some desperate technogenic howl.

If we talk about classic black metal, that's all. The songs on the "Lurker of Chalice" album are mostly slow, however, in the best case (for die hard metalheads) they are funeral doom metal in the vein of (early) Unholy. More often you can hear here drone (the fourth "Minions"), ambient (in particular, the fifth "Paramnesia", the eighth "Vortex Chalice"), something that can be defined as avant-garde rock ("Paramnesia" again, the beginning of "This Blood Falls as Mortal (Part III)", the ninth "Fastened to the Five Points") and the previously mentioned apocalyptic folk (there are even the vocals in the manner of Douglas Pearce in "Vortex Chalice").

To be sure, each song is not played in any one style, everything is mixed and put upside down here, that only enhances the madness of this work. The vocals, which are the singing, and the howling, and screech / gritting, and something else, seem to be more instrument than voice, as it is, by the way, common in experimental music.

The best song in my opinion is the sixth one, "This Blood Falls as Mortal (Part III)". It is very diverse in its structure: its first part (conditionally) is etched in memory with some cosmic reverberation howls and a very heartfelt solo guitar, the sound of which is rectified to the classics of electronic music. Right, in addition to all the revolutionary techniques of this work (it was "completed" in 2002, when avant-garde black metal and post black metal had not yet become widespread), these imitations of the analog sounds of electronic music from the 60s and 70s look like innovations of relevance even today.

There have been times I've been asked by people with less vitriolic musical taste than my own, how I can enjoy listening to such negative and dark music. These people are often referring to metal, with black and death metal mentioned in particular. I've never found there's any getting through to people who demand art to have a purely positive, life-affirming intention, but I would argue that most dark and negative music is intended to create a catharsis in the listener. An exhilarating release of bad emotions. A spiritual exorcism, so to speak, leaving the listener clearer-headed and ultimately happier at the end of it.

None of that applies to Lurker of Chalice.

Lurker of Chalice is one of the few depressive-oriented black metal bands that truly lives up to its title. True to what American Psycho's Patrick Bateman said, there is no catharsis. There is no greater understanding, no release from suffering. It is certainly extreme, but not in the usual sense we think of with regards to metal. Wrest's flagship work with Leviathan always teetered on the edge of complete despair. Lurker of Chalice gives into it. He took the most atmospheric and experimental elements of Leviathan and fleshed them out, making quite possibly one of the scariest albums I have ever heard.

In my own experience with depression, I've never thought of the truly bad feelings as necessarily being exciting or volatile, not like the way a lot of people would think of it. It's usually quite the opposite; a steady descent into complete apathy and an uncomfortable state of unfeeling. It is quiet more often than loud. A volatile outburst might even seem nice under those conditions, because it would mean you were feeling something and able to navigate them instead of being utterly fucking helpless. I think it's best akin to being trapped in a black ocean and slowly sinking, even if you try to swim upwards. That's always been the way I've pictured depression, and it might go to show why I have approached Lurker of Chalice's one and only masterwork as being notably aquatic in its atmosphere. Wrest conjures a wide variety of dynamics here, from dissonant black metal to funeral doom, dark ambient and soft noise. Even so, it never feels like the music rises beyond itself in the usual cathartic way. Even the most intense and energetic parts of Lurker of Chalice (which may seem somnolent by other albums' standards) just feels like a renewal of the same draining atmosphere.

I've enjoyed almost everything I've heard from Leviathan, but my favourite parts were always the times Wrest would get abstract or ambient with his despondence. If you've heard a full album from Leviathan before and haven't yet dived into this, you should already have some idea what this sounds like based on Leviathan at Wrest's most off-kilter and jarring. Calling Lurker of Chalice black metal in the traditional sense isn't so accurate. The music here finds the most miserable threads from black, doom and ambient music, fusing them together into a style I think Wrest can confidently call his own. The guitars are heavy and vast, but seemingly anaesthetized, as if all of the most outward emotions have been completely filtered out of the mix. As a vocalist, Wrest has capitalized on the most garbled and inhuman end of his range, making the studio as much as part of the vocals as his real performance. There are very much moments here you can make out lyrics. Not that lyrics would be necessary to understand what the music is about. The plodding pace and empty vastness say enough as it is.

Lurker of Chalice is up there with the best 'ambient' music; I could sit down and listen to it intently and find myself hearing parts of it I wouldn't otherwise. On the other hand, it could just as easily be left on in the background, and no matter how inattentive I was, the feelings of misery and self-obliteration would slink their way into my consciousness. To be honest, I am pretty disappointed that Wrest never chose to take Lurker of Chalice any further than this. Leviathan has released some brilliant music before and after this album, but this is still quite likely the best thing he has ever done. It is pure misery; those looking for an escape from the strains and heartbreaks of life will find no refuge here.

In my opinion lurker is a great interpretation of Wrest’s depression, but lacks some of the emotional range that Leviathan has, however you could say the same for leviathan too. The two bands seem to fill out a spectrum that neither can seem to fully complete separately. Leviathan has shown more of a focus of anger, hate, and unrelenting energy with an emphasis on atmospherics which made you feel as though you were being force fed Wrest’s loathing (a connoisseur’s dish). That being said I think that Lurker is more of a focus on suicidal angst and torment of self, yet also overlaps in areas Leviathan covered (it has some aggression thrown in). It’s as though he’s taken the most depressing moments he achieved in Leviathan and made a new album based on these feelings.

That in mind, Wrest’s third release is arguably his best yet on the different moniker. It’s atmospherics are so compelling and deep you feel drawn to a different sate of being while listening. His understanding for such drama, pain, and torment could only come from experience. It’s as though he relishes in the glory of his own pain, and his music is his outlet. You see a piece of the man himself in a way that no other album he’s made portrays. To express this further he uses minimalistic quotes from the movie Sylvia, and the original Omen to give this album an even creepier feel. This adds further to the atmosphere and gives certain songs a more ominous feel (no pun intended; seriously). Yet as he pushes more with the atmospherics I find myself reminded more of bands like dISEMBOWELMENT rather than Leviathan. In this respect Lurker of Chalice is more in the style of doom metal, not black metal. Though that’s not to say Wrest doesn’t show his black metal roots, but they are only complimentary to the piece in this case, and not the main focus. The most noticeable influence from leviathan is Wrest’s drumming style. On occasion wrest will break into progressive beats similar in style to those he used for Leviathan and previously Gifthorse, though the aggression is toned down to suit the atmosphere. For these reasons I feel that Lurker of Chalice is revolutionary.

This album shows a level of beauty and pure emotion that to me is untouched by any other like, or unlike album. My only complaint is that he hasn’t made another, but that causes me to the question as to whether or not he can surpass himself on his further endeavors. I believe he can, and hopefully will therefore, I give him a 99.

This reissue (since I'm reviewing the re-release) happens to be another project of one of our favourite anti-social isolationist black metal men, that being Wrest of the famed Leviathan. It really does make sense for Lurker Of Chalice to be a separate project, as it’s an ambient album that sounds like it the soundtrack to a 70’s horror movie (he even got the drum sound to get that 70’s style production!) The other half of the time, it’s a 70’s horror movie taking place in space! The orchestrated instruments sound real, and are mixed in seamlessly with far-off clean guitars, as well as some strangely distorted guitars that could fit in with black metal, as well as the occasional blast beat or movie sample. The vocals are garbled, modified, and echo in the distance like some satanic beast who you accidentally summoned when you started reading from an evil book as a joke.

Every song is absolutely different from one another, yet they all fit the horror theme. Everything is in just the right place to create an aura of fear just before someone gets killed, and the little bits of black metal really throw something new into the mix.

I swear, this Wrest guy could be the next Ennio Morricone.

Originally printed at www.waytooloud.com

Lurker of Chalice is a tricky album to review. What is first to be said is that this is an experience type album. That means Wrest doesn't use erudite musical conventions to convey substance, such as Angantyr does e.g. It's more of his own way of creating accoustic compositions by melodic elements and ambiental sounds. The best comparison I can find is with Edgar Allan Poe's tales. Edgar Poe's writings are proeminent through their effect on the reader, rather than philosophical or intellectual depth. Anyone who has read Poe's tale of Mystery and Imagination knows what I mean, so I won't insist on the analogy. As an observation any musically acknowledged band who doesn't embrace and put across a certain degree of phantasmagory with their creation is prone to failure.

The problem with the album though is that it could have been much better from the point of view of atmosphere. You don't have to listen to this kind of albums twice to get grasped by them. This is an Experience album. You either get fully asimilated by it from the first listen, or you won't enjoy it ever, it wasn't made for you, it doesn't resound with your artistic chord. Each time I listen to it, I get a bittersweet taste in the mouth. I feel it could have been fantastic, that it has what it takes to be an apotheosis, but it scrapes perfection, it isn't a whole.

Should I review the sound, I will not say much. Consisting in a procession of doom-like sequences, of whammy looped guitar or bass (I really can't figure out which) and synth nature, monster-like vocals and ambient. The riffs, as the whole piece, are calm and somptuous. The sound is tainted with a feeling of idleness, it invites the listener to have a share in the artistic creation. The vocals could have fitted well in an industrial metal album. The ambient consists of various sounds and some enigmatic, very fit with the music, speeches.

Overall, what was to tell, has been told. Here, Wrest doesn't explore 'academic' areas of black metal music, but rather the effect of music on mind.

I heard Leviathan before I got round to listening to Lurker Of Chalice. At first, I wasn't particularly blown away by Leviathan. I thought of that Wrest project as perhaps an overrated spin-off of bands like Xasthur. I wasn't too impressed, but after a while, Leviathan began to grow on me. As a result of that, I decided I would look into other projects by Wrest due to curiosity. I wasn't expecting much of Lurker Of Chalice if I'm honest with myself. I thought that they would be very similar, if not identical to Leviathan. Boy was I wrong!

Lurker Of Chalice's self-titled masterpiece struck a chord with me instantly. Even the short introduction to this full-length had my depressive juices flowing in and around my body. To this very day I have not heard a band like Lurker. They, which I refer to all one man bands as, had me hooked from finish to end. The self-titled record was something that I could seriously relate to. At the time, when I first heard it, I do believe I was going through a rather lonely stage. I wasn't particularly dealing with life well and wanted to hear some music from another tortured soul. What I found was exactly what I was searching for. Wrest has the divine ability to be able to connect with a wide ranging audience through the sheer ambiance of Lurker Of Chalice and it's in that ambiance that something special is delivered from.

Every song on this full-length contains it's own special atmosphere, created solely for it's own purpose. Lurker Of Chalice are unique, in a sense. They don't seem to like continuity in the form of a similar sounding soundscape throughout. From one track to the other, everything is different. Wrest adds little differences, whether it be a swirling ambiance or a clean version of vocals. This self-titled full-length is designed to depict a vast amount of pejorative emotions. This is something that is successfully achieved throughout and it's done by using innovative techniques to set Lurker Of Chalice apart from all the modern day acts who attempt to create something similar, but fall very short of the mark. Wrest is a man who knows what he wants and how to achieve it. This driving ability is something that rubs off on the music. Instrumentally and in terms of the vocals, Lurker Of Chalice is very focused in delivering.

As we're taken through the levels of emotion by Lurker Of Chalice, we see the sheer depth that comes with this record. The ambiance of what I presume the keyboards create, builds solid foundations on every track. The ambiance is never the same either, which is very appealing. To find an album of this nature is rare. Generally, the atmospheric nature will stay the same on a black metal record. It's either going to be raw as hell, or it's going to slide along slowly, causing a stir of emotions gradually in the audience. Lurker Of Chalice shows dynamism by shaking things up. Slower passages are greeted by mid pace riffs by the middle and then towards the end we're back to slowly driven soundscapes that depict a number of emotions. From depression to resentment and anger, they're all packed tightly into the mix. This adds up to complexity. Something the majority of black metal fans won't be used to.

The sheer output in emotion is overwhelming. The rich tones and textures will delight the masses for years to come. Lurker Of Chalice aren't primarily a black metal band though. You can see that the bass, in particular, has taken influence from the doom metal genre. Slowly ebbing away, with down tuned declarations of a restless and sleepless soul. The way in which both the bass and rolls of the drums build, gives the impression of an oncoming storm. Ready and waiting to wash away the lives and souls of the scared. One could perhaps see the varying nature of the vocals as a metaphor for this oncoming storm. Whether they be Wrest's harsh voice, or his toned down whispers. Whether they be the fantastic introduction of female voice segments, or Wrest's own operatic howls. They each act as a cry soul. A crying soul whose tears wash over the audience in the form of the ambient riffs flooding in through the gaps of the minds.

Lurker Of Chalice's self-titled debut is one to stand back from and marvel.

The title of this review says it all about this album. This album reminds me a lot of the lesser known band Drowning the Light, but I enjoyed "The Fallen Years" more than this. Wrest, the man behind this band has some real talent and creates interesting, dark and a foreboding atmosphere with the music he plays, however this is all undone by the vocals.

So let’s get to my main and only complaint about this release, the vocals. The vocals are basically Wrest talking with some distortion and echo effects behind it. The style is slightly similar to what can be found on Dark Funeral's track: Vobiscum Satanas. This style of vocals is acceptable on one song, but not all 9 tracks. I don't know what would be worse, if there were no vocals on it or if the vocals were done the way they are. The style of vocals suits the music, but hey, he could have done some high-pitched shrieks, I'm sure that would have suited the music as well.

Vocals aside, this is a solid release, with good, interesting songs that are well played and complex. There is a dark atmosphere throughout the entire album, they can even get you head banging at some points. The songs can feel a bit repetitive sometimes but then the riff changes. There are no solos in this album.

There is some cool ambient sounds in this album, like crows and what have you, what more needs to be said?

So all in all this a good album which is ultimately ruined by a poor choice in vocals. I'm sure this guy was experimenting with it but I prefer the much more traditional approach to the vocals. It really left me feeling unsatisfied and this comes across to me as the type of album you'd want to listen to once, and then forget it. In summary: this is a good album with interesting songs but the vocals totally ruined the experience for me.

Conclusion: The above is recommended for download or purchase.

Production: Hopeless(which is looked at as positive to some, as a negative to others).

Wrest, the mastermind behind USBM band Leviathan, takes out a lot of the suicidal anger and hatred that fuels Leviathan, and here focuses on the manic depressive influence of suicidal contemplation. Although black metal atmosphere is still present, Lurker of Chalice largely surrounds it's motivation with doom metal structures and ambient aesthetics.

When suicide enters everyday consciousness, perspectives unknown to "balanced" persons not only come to life, but take priority; because once life itself ceases to have value, what is there left that could have meaning? Expression is about the only thing that remains. It is this "expression" that many in the abyss turn to; history has given us many artists of all disciplines, whose anguish has been channeled, and brought to a life of it's own in the ironic twist of the anger towards life for which it was inspired.

Different people have different approaches with different motivations. With Lurker of Chalice this reviewer believes that Wrest has no need, or want, for attention or pity. The goal here seems to be one of getting an audio representation of the suicidal abyss that the soul must face when going through the search for reasons to survive after falling into the black labyrinth void. To say, "I understand", or, "How can I help?", would only provoke this suicidal trip further into hell. For Wrest, if he wanted help he'd ask, but if he cannot see an answer then your answer is worthless to him as well.

This album exists for the listener to analyze, feel, and observe, but not to "bond" with it's creator.

Guitars proclaim anguish in doom riffs that fully resemble the doom it intends to represent. Interesting use of single note, simple progressions, wail and vibrate in melancholy tone to add atmospheric texture; giving the listener the feeling of seeing an autumn sunset, realizing that the warm comfort of the summer sun has departed and will not return for some time. Not all guitar tracks use distortion; many times a "clean" tone is used to emphasize despair where overdriven distortion would create an impression of anger instead.

Vocals are a basic spoken word format but through either distortion or open hall reverb, creating the effect on the the listener that the words aren't actually being spoken, but telepathically implanted for further impact.

Drums trot along, their sole purpose being to help move the songs in the directions they intend. No flash. No superb technique. Just an accomplice to the overall artist impression.

Wrest, with Lurker of Chalice and Leviathan, has created his own personal artistic aesthetic using suicidal provocations in clever ways to make musical journeys that are not easily stated with words. In this, suicide may be his greatest foe and his greatest ally.

I previously heard an mp3 of Lurker of Chalice, the song "Piercing Where They Might", and at first I thought it was decent. After downloading the full album, my first impression was immediately thrown away as I was blown away by this album and yes, ladies and gentleman, Wrest does it again and this time, this is quite possibly his best work yet.

After first hearing the album I wasn't able to stop listening to it. To sum this album up, it's way more melodic than Leviathan, so if you're like me and love Leviathan's more melodic moments, you'll love this. This album also consists heavily of dark ambient. Also there isn't many of Wrest's usual screamed vocals; only here and there, but instead there's mostly whispers, spoken words, and chanting.

This album isn't really a black metal album and considering it to be one should be false. As there is, of course, black metal elements to be found here, there's also much rock (kraut rock I've heard it been considered to resemble), doom metal, and like I previously mentioned, dark ambient. I find there also to be some kind of demented sounding folk, that's the only real way I can describe it.

I'll try my best to break each song down...

I - This is the albums introduction and it starts off with a ritualistic sort of drumming with haunting keyboards over top. Then a melodic guitar slowly fades into the mix, soon followed by a second, playing a dreary riff. Then suddenly stops to the sound of crows... The thought in my mind is crows feasting on a rotted corpse on a desolate field...

Piercing Where They Might - And then clean, lonely sounding guitars begin, playing while the crows caw. After they die out, the crows suddenly sound viscious and a horrorfying, distorted guitar gives a vision of the disgusting sight, followed by fast-paced drumming. The monotonous sound of the drumming and the horrorfying riff play for some time. They stop suddenly and begin playing a melodic riff, followed by two high pitched guitars. Then an acoustic guitar starts strumming while Wrest howls. This is easily the most black metal sounding song of the album.

Spectre As Valkyrie Is - Chimes chiming in the wind... wind blowing through that desolate landscape... and then a tortured, scratchy high-pitched scream echoes. A heavy, rockish melody begins playing and soon stops as a thick bass plays over mid-paced drums and drifting keyboards, resonating guitars fade in and out, and Wrest's gutteral sounding whispers are behind the music. Lonely spoken words begin to speak, speaking of war and death. The music stops and a haunting choir-sounding keyboard drift away. A very 'drifty' and desolate sounding song.

Minions - The sound of a rumbling bass and an organ play silently, as in a deep catacomb... And then, a very doomish and depressing heavy guitar starts slowly, a clean, melodic guitar playing over it. It almosts drowns you, but then a slow, rockish melody plays with more drifty keyboards playing, the clean guitars still playing over top of it all. The pace quickens alittle more as the guitars play one chord and stop suddenly to a very beautiful, serene keyboard melody, like the haunting echo of a female spirit. And then a clean guitar echoes over the bass which is playing a rock melody, with Wrest's howling buried within. Then the slow, doomy guitars start playing along with the bass, still playing the rock melody which slowly fades out...

Paramnesia - A sort of spinning, distorted noise fades in and an odd, disgusting sounding acoustic song begins playing. An acoustic guitar playing a dark melody with a tribal-ish drumming. With a resonating guitar fading in and out along with an insane, unsettling howling. Then all stops and Wrest's ritualistic chanting begins, chanting as if he's within that ancient catacomb. Very dark. The acoustic guitar slowly begins strumming again and the drums come back in with that beginning distorted spinning sound. A guitar fades into the acoustic song, playing an arpeggio riff. It suddenly stops and the electric guitars fades away...

This Blood Falls As Mortal Part III - The drifting and haunting keyboards slowly come back... causing you to fall within the depths of lonliness and suicide... A women begins speaking... speaking of her unwillingness to live. Her hallow shell being engulfed in black and silence. A cold, high-pitched metallic sounding noise fades throughout you, almost like the knife you use to slice your veins open, sadly singing to you to let the blood fall and your mortal life fade away... As two guitars begin playing a sad, lonely melody over mid-paced drums. This keeps up for awhile, until they cry out into darkness and a distorted, horrorying tremelo-picked guitar begins and Wrest's disgusting moans engulf you in depression. Then a blastbeat begins, the tremelo-picked guitar continues its slaughter of yourself. Suddenly it stops to an acoustic guitar strumming and industrial sounding percussion, with the drifting keyboards playing in the background. You feel yourself slowly fading away... drowning in darkness... and then die...

Granite - A resonated guitar plays a tremelo-picked riff silently and another guitar grabs hold of you and quickly pulls you into an almost 'black rock' music. A tremelo-picked guitar plays a rockish riff over a furious black metal blastbeat and Wrest's vocals are like an echoey singing. Everything seems to be pulling you up towards the heavens. This song is especially catchy.

Vortex Chalice - A clean guitar plays slow arpeggio riffs here and there as the drifting keyboards return, you feel yourself wandering a desolate spirit plain, Your spirit drifting along with the keyboards. You come accross a girl as she asks you, "Do you believe in anything at all?" And suddenly acoustic guitars begin strumming and Wrest begins singing, his voice sounding lonely and forgotten. This continues for awhile until the previous, tribal drumming begins and a sad acoustic guitar begins, with a second playing a beautiful melody over it. They slowly fade out...

Fastened to the Five Points - A brooding guitar plays a heavy, rockish riff with drums crashing, they stop to the sound of a haunting moaning, with a clean guitar playing a sad melody. The same riff from the introduction song, "I", begins; only this time it's very, very dark and doomish, feeling shivers crawling up and down your spine. Your spirit is left to wander those desolate plains in lonliness for eternity. Even in death your soul is lost and forgotten... and then a dark, depressing acoustic guitar strums with Wrest whispering silently. Distorted guitars begin playing the same dark riff and a clean guitar drifts behind, playing a lonely melody. The previous riff from "I" starts again. And then it all fades away... This one's a very slow, doom metal sounding song.

Well, that about covers each song. This album is full of variety and though it does have it's similarities with Leviathan, it's very, very different as well. Evidently, Wrest wanted to expirement and try new things with this album and did a damn great job. To be completely honest, I'd probably choose this album over Leviathan any day. But Wrest is an amazing musician, that's all there is to it. It's a shame that he gave up Lurker of Chalice but hopefully he'll pick up on the project again sometime in the future.

All in all, GET THIS ALBUM ANYWAY YOU CAN!