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September 7, 2008 |
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01. Intro
02. Doctor X
03. Censored Project
04. Blasphemy
05. Occult Medicine
06. Revenant Horde
07. Reversed World
08. Trapped Into Life
09. Surgical Distortion
10. Schyzophrenic Carnage
11. Erase The Past
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Named after a fictional character from Michael Moorcock's long-running 'Elric Of Melnibone' series of fantasy novels, come France's latest Death/Thrash/Black Metal sensations YYRKOON (Stephane Souteyrand/guitars & vox, Geoff Gautier/guitars, Victor Villchez/bass, and Laurent Harrouart/drums) with their newest offering on Osmose Records 'Occult Medicine' (For what it's worth, figuring out the band lineup was EXCEEDINGLY difficult due to the convoluted info provided! GRRR, Osmose! GRRR, YYRKOON! May the black blade of Stormbringer smite ye!!! Just kidding!) Apparently these guys have been around for awhile and have two previous albums to their credit, namely 98's 'Oniric Transition' on Velvet Music International, and 'Dying Sun' on Anvil Productions. 'Occult Medicine' marks the band's third opus and first Osmose release. It is this release which has afforded YYRKOON their greatest degree of international exposure thus far.
Well-deserved too I might add, as this is a raw, entrail-dripping sonic feast for Death Metal ears to say the very least.
Much like neighbours/like-minded-thinkers ABORTED in Belgium, BEHEMOTH in Poland, and Stateside stalwarts NILE, the Gallic grimlords of YYRKOON have wisely decided to avoid the path most-trodden and instead push what could have been just another stale, typical DM release into darker realms of technical efficacy and excellence heretofore untouched since the birth of the form in the late 80's/early 90's. As I've made a point of many times now, it's not often that DM pricks up my ears, but every now and then a band does arrive who breathe new life and vitality into the scene. Much like the aforementioned luminaries and personal faves listed above, based on the work contained within 'Occult Medicine' YYRKOON can likewise count themselves among the handful of bands currently at the forefront of the battle to take the DM beast into braver, bolder new territory.
On 'Occult Medicine' the listener is treated to a startling array of highly technical, melodic leadwork flashing like shards of lightning over the boiling-cloud tumult of the heaving, surging riff-storm and battery below. Add to this the ferociously guttural vocal stylings of Souteyrand and you've got a winner on your black-leather-clad hands indeed! It manages to stay hard and brutal, yet pleasingly listenable and hook-laden as well with a definite sense of intelligent song construct, an ear for solid riffs and melodic leads, and an overall drive to create a memorable collection of tunes which both stand alone and compliment one another at the same time. Mark my words: this is HEAVY stuff!
Try, if you will, to imagine a high-octane, top-fuel-injected cross between the frost-swirling, riffcentric school of thought pioneered by the likes of AT THE GATES and CARCASS forged and tempered with the fiery ores of older-school Tech-Death/Thrash as per 'Human'-era DEATH, 'Demonic'-era TESTAMENT with even hints of old SLAYER, POSSESSED, and CELTIC FROST, not to mention a dash or two of BM-style ambience thrown into the mix. Add all of these caustic sonic ingredients together and you have a rough idea of the sort of mayhem that awaits. Faves: the battery of opener 'Doctor X' with its great solos, riff-monsters 'Blasphemy' and the title track, and the onslaught 'Trapped Into Life'. For so early in their career, YYRKOON have managed to put together a more than impressive piece of work here. Very polished, sharp, and cutting-edge.
The material on offer on 'Occult Medicine' straddles that ever-elusive line between the evocation of past Metal glories with the panzer-shadow-on-the-horizon arrival of fresh and revitalizing influences which help to propel this quite extreme ore of blackened steel into boldly original realms of darkness. Top quality stuff. Hail & Kill!
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