GRAND DEMISE OF CIVILIZATION
GRAND DEMISE OF CIVILIZATION “The Blaze of Abaddon”
By Dr. Abner Mality
Man, I sure didn’t see this one coming! An epic black/death metal magnum opus originating from Minnesota? Who knew? The expansively titled GRAND DEMISE OF CIVILIZATION are on album #4 with “The Blaze of Abaddon” but they are a completely new name to me. After hearing this scorcher, methinks I shall unearth the back catalogue…
The thing is, pretentious or not, they really do live up to the epic promise of their name. The band has a very ancient sound to them…I have not heard anything quite like this in a long time. The songs are huge and have ample time to create various moods and sounds. There’s a feeling of DISSECTION to some of the melodies here, but harsher and blacker. At times, this almost brings early EMPEROR to mind! Death metal finds its way into the music, especially on “North of Hell”, but the prevailing vibe is very black indeed, hearkening back to the earliest days of 90’s black metal. The production is earthy but not “necro”. GRAND DEMISE structure their songs too carefully to fall prey to the “dungeon” type of sound.
“Redeemer of Wrath” takes the gamble of opening the album with the longest track, going for more than 10 minutes of twisting, archaic, blasting black metal coupled with sad melodies. This will get your attention right away. The onslaught continues with the cryptic “Cathedral Reaper”, but perhaps reaches its peak on “Silencer”, a long cut that superbly builds tension until bursting into a doom-filled riff. Then Satan hits the gas pedal and this thing shreds until ending in a moody little bit of melody. The band also adds copious bits of creepy synth and acoustic flourishes that are well thought out. Check out the flamenco guitar ending to “The Consequence” and how it melts into the pealing of tubular bells.
What a surprise this one is! Any self-respecting black metal cultist needs to experience “The Blaze of Abaddon” and feel its scorching heat!