Descend Supreme Sunset

In Tha Umbra is a very curious sort of underground band- the kind that seems to flitter JUST outside the recognition of most metalheads, but whose name seems oddly familiar to anyone who's been around for a few years. It seems that these guys never really took off despite being around for fourteen years now- I like to think it's the very oddly chosen, vaguely nu-metallish moniker they employ which is turning everyone off. Get past the curious naming convention and you'll actually find some really, really good music though; 'Descend Supreme Sunset' came out of absolutely nowhere for me as one of the true lost gems of late '90s extreme metal, and I think just about everyone should investigate this release as a brilliant unknown piece of the Portuguese scene.

This band plays a sort of gothic-tinged variety of black/death metal (generally heavier on the former) based around some very tricky, somewhat technical riffing which seems to be a combination of old Cradle Of Filth, Mayhem, and perhaps some of the more melodic-edged US death metal of the same time period. The gothic atmosphere comes out in the form of extraordinarily tasteful keyboards, acoustic guitars, and some rather distinct Cradle Of Filth-style slow passages. I actually think there's not a blast beat on this disc; the band seems content to dwell around an upper midpace. Actually, a great point of reference for this CD would be 'The Haunting', Sear Bliss' odd-man-out release of similarly brilliant and underappreciated quality. Hell, there's even a hint of punk to this in the form of d-beats and other rhythmic structures heavily derived from early crust and hardcore. There's certainly a lot going on in this record, and more strikingly, it's all employed very well.

I have a big fondness for Italian extreme metal from late '90s/early '00s, and 'Descend Supreme Sunset' embodies all the great elements of that era despite not being from that scene itself: great, varied riffs, intensely original and organic song structures, and super-detailed compositions which seem to be saturated in all sorts of melodic voices and cleaver rhythmic work but never seem overwhelming or incoherent. The riffs on this release are just fantastic, and the heavy usage of the bass guitar reminds me a great deal of early Spite Extreme Wing, with guitars and bass bouncing off each other in an intricate and very precise manner. The riffs on this disc are extremely melodic but never feel even remotely weak or saccharine; a more mainstream spin on 'De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas' is a great way to describe many of them, and the periodically occurring keyboards are unobtrusive and always used delicately to bolster the rest of the music. Really, this is one of the more tasteful and sophisticated albums in my collection. Even the drums are worthy of mention: technical and unique without being flashy, they add hugely to the similarly unconventional riffing and provide a really interesting base for the melodies to work off of without ever being intrusive.

The one big issue that prevents this album from really being in my top playing rotation would be the production; it's rather demo-level, with a somewhat whiny lead guitar tone, overloud drums, and a kind of flat mix. This is unfortunate because I can imagine how amazing these tracks would be with a more robust sound. It's unfortunate and damages the music but in no way kills the release: it's something that can and should be worked past by the dedicated listener in order to fully appreciate the compositions on the album.

The lack of recognition this band gets is very unfortunate, because 'Descend Supreme Sunset' is most certainly a great album that I think could have been huge in the metal scene with greater promotion behind it. This is about the definition of a lost gem, and I massively recommend this to any fans of melodic extreme metal. Track this one down: you absolutely won't regret it.