Ithdabquth Qliphoth

One song albums are very hard to do (yes, I know this is listed as 7 songs, but my CD version is one long track, and it flows together pretty well anyway, so who cares). More often than not, they are mere exercises in self-indulgence, or oriented into a very specific genre (namely, extreme doom). Rare is the raw black metal album one that ventures into the singular song area, with only Mistigo Varggoth Darkestra coming to my mind. Despite all this, here we have this album, one song split into 7 parts and released in 777 copies (the number 7 having great significance in many religions). Ithdabquth Qliphoth, whose name relates to the evil manifestations from the left side of God (as opposed to the Seraphim, who emanated from the right) in mystic Judaism, have boldly pushed boundaries of traditional black metal and crafted quite the interesting album here. Both band members are represented by cryptic sigils in the booklet, and the bizarreness and mysteriousness of it all - though some would say pretentiousness - simply adds to the otherworldly experience of this album. On a lyrical level, from what I can figure out, this reminds me a lot of Deathspell Omega insofar as it takes a much more intellectual take on occultism and Satanism, as opposed to repeating the word Satan a few thousand times like Dark Funeral. While most people could care less about lyrics, especially in black metal where they're indecipherable anyway, it demonstrates just how much planning and effort went into this recording. Once one gets past the simplistic guitar and drum lines, one notices how carefully constructed this album was as a whole.

While their newer album, "Fyre Walk With Me," may (and I emphasize may) be better, both are quite excellent examples of mystical black metal that sounds not quite like anything I've ever heard before. Additionally, the two side projects, the black/doom of Hammer ov Qliphoth and the power electronics of AL-LA-ShT-ORR, all seem linked thematically, though to what purpose is quite the mystery to me. Whatever it is, the cacophony put forth by this Russian duo (now a one-man project) is well worth investigating. Additionally, Ithdabquth Qliphoth utilize a multitude of languages on this release, further muddying the waters and making it very difficult to decipher what exactly is going on. While off-putting to some, I find that this serves a two-fold function that both aid the band: for one, it adds to the mystique that they are so obviously trying to cultivate, and secondly, it forces the listener to actively participate, either by coming to their own conclusions about what the album is about or by actually researching the subject matter.

For all this talk of the aesthetics of the album, what's really important here is the music on hand, and this release is fascinating in that department. Ithdabquth Qliphoth traffic in black metal of the rawest variety, but frequent tempo changes and a bizarre ambiance (not having anything to do with ambient) keep things interesting. The band are at their best in the mammoth doomy passages, with the more traditional mid-tempo buzzing tremolo parts almost serving as tension-builders. Unlike many bedroom black metal bands, drums are real, which is quite fortunate. Bass is listed in the notes but it entirely inaudible. While there are blast beats, they are not particularly lightning fast, nor are they meant to be - think Horna's "Aarni Yossa" track for a speed comparison. Guitars are thin but quite clear, with just enough of that swarm-of-wasps distortion tone to please any black metal fan and send everyone else fleeing to their Arch Enemy records, with simple yet effective riffing dominating. Riffs repeat just enough to achieve that droning effect that I love so much before switching and moving on to something else. Vocals are an instrument, spitting forth rage in multiple tongues while blending into the rest of the instruments to make a seamless whole. Unlike most other one-song albums, this is not a random assortment of unrelated musical ideas pasted together with little thought, but a very clear and obvious progression occurs between the varying parts.

Like the previous reviewer said, there is a definite melancholy to this album like all great black metal albums, but this is certainly no mopey woe-is-me depressive black metal. This is more of a spiritual forlornness, rather than a "life sucks so I'm going to cut myself and this is in no way emo-y teen angst with distortion." It works great, and really gives off the vibe that this album is part of something much greater than mere humans. It is the embodiment of a cosmic hate, not one restricted to species or ideas. It is the total manifestation of hatred for all life.

What makes this record so great is frustratingly difficult to describe. It sounds vast and epic in scope (2 highly overused adjectives in black metal, I know) without a trace of the post-rock inclinations common to long-winded black metal bands nowadays. Conversely, despite being so long, most of the parts are actually rather memorable, and I found that time seemed to freeze while this album played. I looked up and it was suddenly much later in the evening (like all good black metal albums, this is best played at night), and all I wanted to do was to start it all over again.

This album is meant for very few, but for those few lucky enough to track it down, it is completely worth it. Almost every black metal band pretends to be the most evil band ever. Ithdabquth Qliphoth just might actually have some credibility to that claim.

I cannot wholely condone this work. However I have to admit its merrit.

This is an example of a "garage" or "bedroom" black metal band putting out some work that is completely abrasive and unwelcoming but at the same time kind of appealing. There are a lot of elements here that could competely satisfy a listener depending on their disposition. However, those same elements could totally disgust someone if they are not subscribing to the particular mode of thought necessary to appreciate this work.

I happen to like it... a lot. But this comes at a time where I find "abrasive and unwelcoming" exactly what I'm looking for. I was looking for something exactly like this when I heard it. There are simplistic riffs all over the place but there is actually a lot of thought put into this recording. I really feel like the musicians here put serious effort into making something that appeals to the listener both emotionally and intellectually.

There are a lot of passages that are reminiscent of early Gorgoroth (although less technical, not that Gorgoroth were ever techincal) in a sense that the passages are emotionally charged. Even though things are quite simplistic, they manage to convey a sense of sadness on an extreme level. That seems to be exactly what the musicians were stiving for and their effort payed off. Long passages of guitar riffs are included hered; some are repititions and variations of a theme and some seem to be completely impromptu but they all are in the same vein.

Drums are minimal for the most part however from time to time you will find a blast beat with reasonable speed but we're not talking about George Kollias here; Imagine a moderate Fenriz.

The vocals are put through distortion throughout and are just about completely indecipherable. This is the perfect effect for the music. I couldn't tell you if they were spoken in Russian, English or Hebrew (see cover art) but they are exactly what the music needs. Honestly, I don't care very much about lyrical content so take that with a grain of salt. If you believe in lyrical content then this might not be the band for you.

All in all, I can't give this a perfect score because I know that at a certain time, I would have given this lower marks but it is just so strangely appealing to me now that I can't score it poorly. This is a great recording for a person who seeks a dark, depressing (and I really mean depressing as the dominant emotion here is sadness) listen. It is harsh, mean and foreboding with passages that consist of nothing more than static soaked guitar riffs (no voice, no drums) but it just fits so well. These guys managed to put out a hell of a record... that is, if you are in the mindset to hear it.