Succorbenoth - The Spiral into Uncertainty

SUCCORBENOTH - The Spiral into Uncertainty (SCHATTENKULT Produktionen CD 2016)

I don’t know if albums like this get many fans. Probably they don't, because for most of the listeners bands like Succorbenoth are too weird to enjoy. Well, I have to say that I also had difficulties with their second album "The Spiral into Uncertainty". After first couple days of listening to it I didn't like this music so much. But later, when I played it again (and again) it clicked and I discovered a lot of greatness in it. Definitely "The Spiral into Uncertainty" is not an album, which can be understood and fully enjoyed after one or two listens. And that's because not only the band plays black metal in more modern and sometimes very unorthodox way, but even dares to merge it with brutal death metal, what surely gave quite odd result. And more so, the entire "The Spiral into Uncertainty" is 75 minutes long! That's a lot. For me personally it's just too much music for one album and I just don't like such lengthy recordings. I prefer them to be shorter, so I can be sure that I can listen to them in one go (and it's not easy with 75 minutes of music). And besides, shorter means more straight forward effect and only best songs and ideas collected, without tiring fillers. Obviously Succorbenoth did as much as they can to make sure that "The Spiral into Uncertainty" is interesting from start to finish. And mostly they succeeded. The album is filled with killer songs and some superb ideas, arrangements, etc. But it is not derived of fragments, which I don't like so much, so personally I would cut 2-3 songs off (like the last one "Self Destroy") and then the result would be better in my opinion. 

I already mentioned what I don't like about "The Spiral into Uncertainty": duration, which is too long. And the annoying death metal influences, which appear in songs like "Gears of the Great Construct" or "The Stone and Withered Tree" and which not always fit the whole aura and style of other songs and simply ruin the experience for me. The riffs can be OK, but those deep growls of brutal death metal do not fit here! Other than that Succorbenoth presents a very interesting take on modern black metal, which on one hand is focused on truly fast and intense, absolutely vicious and possessed black metal, but on the other hand is as diverse as it can only be. And so, it contains many calm, almost melancholic parts, pretty few dissonant riffs and Succorbenoth fragmentarily sounds a bit like post (black) metal band, when speaking of some riffs, arrangements, instrumental parts and the general sound. Surely "The Spiral into Uncertainty" is anything, but not your traditional and common black metal record. I even have troubles to compare their style to anything, but maybe you can sense a bit of Abigor sophisticated style in it? 

For sure diversity is a key here, because the album is far from being one dimensional. And it means that not only the tempos are varied – majority of the album is insanely fast, but it can get slow in the most unexpected moment – but it also means that the riffs can be sometimes very different. And  "The Spiral into Uncertainty" also contains some superb clean vocals' parts here and there and even some short keyboards feelings, to get more interesting sound. More so, there can appear some melodic parts next to violent and fast black metal riffage, so... Yes, say what you want, but Succorbenoth knows how to play their instruments and how to compose some killer songs. I truly liked many of them, like "Temptation", "Lie Amidst Stale Air", "Identity", "Body and Mind", "The Spiral into Uncertainty"… You can see that I can mention quite many tracks. Each has something exceptional and fantastic to offer and yet again I have to mention their diversity and the way Succorbenoth creates atmosphere in their music. More so, I like how they managed to balance the ferocious and savage black metal played in neckbreaking speed with harmonious, sometimes almost peaceful fragments. What a stunning stuff, really. Do check it out then, please, I recommend it, but please remember that it may require few spins before anything will click for you. And damn, check this superb cover artwork and killer band logo, I love it. 

Standout tracks: "Temptation", "Lie Amidst Stale Air", "Identity", "Body and Mind", "The Spiral into Uncertainty" 

Final rate: 75/100