Grimorte - Esoteric Ascendance

 


Esoteric Ascendance is the debut EP from Grimorte, a two-piece death doom project from Kieran Scott (Ashen Crown) and Lewis Borthwick (Archierophant). Releasing on October 31st 2020, it is a relatively short for a project of this nature, though the EP packs in as much dreadful atmosphere as any funeral doom may hope to achieve over the space of an hour. 

Each of the four tracks on this EP features darkly compelling song writing. Opening track The Procession lumbers forward tentatively, accompanied with a sample of Aleister Crowley's poem The Pentagram, before Scotts's vocals bring the piece into a resplendent cacophony of doom ladened death metal. Sequestrate opens with more imminent darkness, with a chorus that leans towards atmospheric black metal. The glory of Scott's "I ascend!" is almost without parallel. Title track Esoteric Ascendance winds melodic guitar harmonies between Scott's gutturals and screams, climaxing into yet more black metal goodness. The vocals here really help to keep the track afloat against a repetitive structure (ABABA). Closing track Firvir opens with a rich, layered choir, and ramps up the black metal feel, with harmonised guitars and Kieran's voice becoming an avatar of the scene's earliest Norwegian pioneers. A dense orchestral movement sees out the choir to round out the EP, as though we, the listener, are ushered between one white pillar and one black pillar into the ritual halls of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The biggest weakness that this EP has is the production. As I understand it, this was handled entirely by  Borthwick, for which props must be given: to produce and master a self released EP is no easy task, and there are times when the layering and mix certainly do justice to the atmosphere latent within the song writing. However the drums are frequently lifeless, the black metal chorus of the title track is all but drowned out by the cymbal in the right stereo channel, and overall the guitars and bass lack the low end that would make this record truly punishing. To many this may not be an issue, however I feel the EP doesn't sit far enough in the lo-fi realms of black metal to have these mistakes pass.

Esoteric Ascendance is a strong opening volley from Grimorte. Proudly DIY, the song writing talents of this duo will carry them far, provided that they also pay close attention to the effect that production can have on a record such as this. 

FFO: Cold World, Alcest, Conjurer

JC

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