The Charnel Expanse

Redeeming the idea of modern "progressive/technical" death metal, this Boston band draws influence from seers such as The Chasm, Immolation, Demilich, Timeghoul, and Atheist for a legitimately genre-advancing vision of their own beyond both "old" and "new" school.

Fundamentally, compositions are built around a fluid interplay between alien dissonance and arching melody. However, rather than portraying them as in opposition, here they are supportive forces working like syncretic architecture with an ease of movement and grace rare to the genre. Both forces transition and shift into one another like the changing of seasons, swirling around a central theme and presenting multiple faces of the same over-arching idea. The end result is akin to a heated discussion not of conflicting sides but multiple viewpoints united in a grander vision. Complimenting this is the impressive and carefully executed instrumental performance.

Guitar work is ever dancing between the border of alien tonalities and surging melody, utilizing a wide arsenal of shapes to moderate, drive, halt, and elaborate on a song's motion. Drumming is in a semi-jazz style that is effectively understated in how it plays to the main thrust of a song, using carefully selected fills for emphasis. Bass follows a similar philosophy, shadowing guitars crafting elegant harmony in its wake. Add to that both an graven rusted vocal performance and poignant lyricism about the human condition (and even a song about the major villains of the Mass Effect series of video games) and you have 2013's finest offering. Mandatory listening.

More than anything, Zealotry gets death metal. This isn’t the most staunchly experimental or ripping thing you’ll hear, but Zealotry are definitely a band that gets it. The group takes choice cuts from many facets of their chosen genre and manages to mash them together into one cohesive whole. The Charnel Expanse isn’t the type of album that will floor you immediately. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed at first listen. The next time I liked it a bit more and after a few more spins it proved to be a real grower. The band certainly has the riffs and can shred their asses off when need be, but this is just as much about the layering, atmosphere and flow. That’s what makes it so good, really – although it’s a very cerebral affair, they can really slay when that’s the path they choose to descend down.

There isn’t really one aspect here that particularly jumps out. The genius of this is how well done every little thing is. No instrument is resigned to wither away in a supporting role. Everyone is both skilled and inspired, culminating in one hell of an experience. With their complex sound, it’s impossible to say that Zealotry is influenced primarily by one band, but Immolation is definitely high in the mix. There are also flourishes of Gorguts, The Chasm, Demilich and Morbid Angel, as well as many others. One particularly interesting channel Zealotry explores is incorporating subtle amounts of that cavernous, angular sort of Incantation tripping balls on DMT death metal that has experienced a rise in popularity lately (with bands like Portal, Antediluvian and Mitochondrion being prime examples of this sound). Although this may seem like a lot of stuff crammed into one package, their sound is seamless, coherent and is never random for the sake of being random.

The drumming is central to the sound, holding this intricately coiled package together. The drum sound is great – this is as far away from clicky triggered-to-death hogwash as you can get. It’s completely organic and perfectly set in the mix. This certainly isn’t a blast away all the time sort of band (although the dude can rock double bass like a maniac), the rhythm style is switched up often and intricate fills are plentiful. The guitar is hard to describe because there’s so much variety. From menacing lurches, to twisting tremolo, and from smatterings of vaguely melodic flourishes to blazing shredding, the group is certainly no one trick pony. Hell, there’s even a few pensive clean sections. Above all, expect layering and frequent twists and turns. The bass isn’t always prominent, but it is high enough in the mix to keep the sound reasonably thick. When the bass does come bursting into the fold, it is always inspired. The production here is very dry – not as in monotonous but in that it has the type of arid feel that evokes images of bone dust scattered among charred ruins.

From the infectious tremolo melodies on the first track to the creepy church bell intro on the last, this is truly an inspired album. A maze of intricate layers, reeling twists and superior musicianship, this is a thoroughly rewarding album. Despite its cerebral nature, these guys can certainly bring the killer riffs and astonishing solos. They also have an excellent sense of flow and a strong atmosphere. Like many complex albums, The Charnel Expanse may not click right away. It didn’t for me. It’s one of those albums where the greatness creeps up on you. This album is a monolith; an enlightened beast, yet still one with razor sharp fangs.

Ever a pleasure to discover a band like Zealotry haunting the New England underground, especially in the death metal niche, which I've honestly never found to be particularly strong around here. Sure, we've had some local heroes to cheer on in the past, and we've got a few at the moment (Abnormality, Revocation, etc), but The Charnel Expanse is something positioned at quite the right place and time: an old school exhibition which never shies from introspection, atmosphere and most importantly, a higher plane of musicality you just don't expect from your garden variety Incantation, Entombed or Autopsy clones that have admittedly helped rekindle an interest in the sounds of the genre's grade school years. Zealotry takes chances, and the band's full-length debut allows each of its constituent instruments to breathe witchery into its arcane whole, plus the cover looks like a squamous send-up to Cryptopsy's Blasphemy Made Flesh, or at least a handmaiden of Lloth...

The obvious comparisons conjured by The Charnel Expanse would be Immolation's first few albums in the 90s, with perhaps a helping of the less blatantly groove-infested riffing off Demilich's Nespithe, but more recent parallels could be drawn towards Canadian acts like Mitochondrion or Antediluvian or a hint of the more structured Portal material. The music is quite complex in its phrasing, tempo shifting and peppering of techniques like harmonics, squeals and splaying out the individual notes of chords as a counterpoint to the more rampant manifestation of the other, driving rhythm guitar. Variation without loss of cohesion, and plenty of creepy segues coursing through the album, like the strangely addictive clean guitars opening "Blighted", which are an excellent dynamic digestive aide for those turned off by incessant onslaughts. When I mentioned 'old school' earlier, I was referring more to the 90s school of thought, when the genre was evolving through the musical proficiency of its practitioners...The Charnel Expanse is far more demanding, for example, than the rudimentary, evil tremolo patterns or bludgeoning grooves used to anchor classics like Death's Leprosy or Obituary's Cause.

No, it's more catered towards fans of records like Here in After, Obscura or None So Vile. As such, a brazen, ballistic and ranged performance is required of the rhythm section, and it is given, with the drums in particular standing out in the mix. A few fills seem to fall flat in the context of the motion of the riffs they are accommodating, and there are occasional stock blasts alternated against the more interesting mid paced riffing or grooves, but it's one of those albums where I feel like I could shut off the vocals and guitars and still enjoy listening to this guy batter away. Same could be said of the bass, which is a little deep in the mix but every inch as nimble as the rhythm guitar, with some nice effective deviations from the centric progressions that help justify its independence (for example, I loved its zipping and bumping beneath the leads in the track "Decaying Echoes"). Leads are also a standout component of this record, both flashy and atmospheric enough to enforce the otherworldly lyrics and imagery of the band's cosmic and philosophical schemata, and giving the recording just that much more overall depth.

The Charnel Expanse was not crossed in a day, and the effort applied by the musicians was obvious from the first few fell, majestic note progressions that herald "Avatars of Contempt, pt. I". There are a handful of transitions through the record that I felt could have been tightened to greater effect, where the volume of ideas and execution almost suffocates itself. Also, the leverage between the two simultaneous rhythm guitar tracks seemed a fraction unbalanced so that it could be slightly difficult to pick out the nuances of one over the other...but then, I've got to admire just how much work was put into their coexistence. The only other gripe I had was that some of the dual-layered guttural vocals were slightly overbearing, and that I preferred when just one growl was emitted since there is just so much happening musically that it could become a bit claustrophobic to include more. But as a paean to the madness of social and moral decay, all of the pieces here do ultimately fit the puzzle, and Zealotry has got itself quite an engrossing experience which holds up through a large number of listening sessions. The lyrics are thoughtful, and many of the riffs fantastic. Expect a great, reality-warping future from Zealotry. First, we Massholes hosted Miskatonic University, and now this band. No pressure, gentlemen!

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com