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THE OLDEST HOUSE “The Art of Abysswalking”
THE OLDEST HOUSE “The Art of Abysswalking”
By Dr. Abner Mality
It will take more than Bob Villa to keep this old house from rocking! This is quite an unusual release for the eccentric I, Voidhanger label, mostly because of how straightforward and punishing it is. This is some thunderous sludgy pounding in the vein of CONAN and even CIANIDE!
The title track revs up the tank and starts rolling right away. The sound is thick as concrete and moves forward at a deliberate mid-pace with some sticky riffing. The resemblance to CONAN is apparent even to the unusual lead vocals, which are multi-tracked cleans that sound like monks singing.A great track that sets the tone for much of the album, as “The Chosen Undead” and “Hollow Warrior” follow with more of the same. THE OLDEST HOUSE does indeed seem to be channeling an almost prehistoric vibe and that reminds me of another excellent band, ARKHAIIK. “Harvester of Humanity” starts with pure doom and then gets steadily more forceful and driving. The transitions are exceptionally powerful.
It wouldn’t be I, Voidhanger if we didn’t have a massive epic and “Tomb of The Giants” fits the bill. Starting with bleak and spooky ambience, this one is really crushing, but I do feel it went just a tad too long. Almost as long is the album ending “Nameless Hero”, which again starts with doleful pace and kicks in with a great loping riff at the end.
This is one of the best things I, Voidhanger has put out lately and if you’re scared you might be hit with free jazz workouts or dissonant piano breaks, fear not…THE OLDEST HOUSE is foreboding but easy to occupy.
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