HEKATAION REVIEW
HEKATAION - SACRIFICE AT THE CROSSROADS
When we look inwards, through the lenses of anger, with the coals of rage burning within our vision, the soul may extinguish the decadent essence that clings to such emotion, where all that remains is a pure and virulent energy, not a human emotion brought upon by the fickle woes of life. Conversely, it is through this inverse, where our universe lies not outwards but within ourselves, that we terraform it, to reach its nucleus, the center that births knowledge, arcane wisdom, an ineffable sensation. It is through art as a conduit that we inherit its words.
“Sacrifice at the Crossroads” by Hekataion takes the essence of Black and Death Metal, akin to bands such as Morbid Angel, Lvcifyre, and Grave Miasma. However, the band instead crafts an unworldly experience which the mind ventures into, unlocking an ineffable sensation transformed through the currents of art and, in its virulent flow, shaping the soul in its image.
The soul that leaves its body behind may wander unto different worlds, and unto these worlds may coalesce with the mind, for one's own darkest desires may be satiated, but in the same disposition, a world that heralds our fear may cripple us, just as one that offers knowledge may elude us all the same. The very shifting of consciousness in and out of each world, each facet of art, will bring with it its own melody of sound, for like the strings, where each chord becomes a construct that lends its sound to craft an otherworldly being, its melody becomes the breath that courses through its lungs, its essence becomes its motion of language.
A slow and methodical energy permeates through the guitars, presenting itself in a thick, scabrous tone, where the production becomes clear so as to accentuate its serrated aura. Flowing in a similar current to the guitars of Immolation, the riffing here carries with it a density, as though every note expelled digs into the earthen floor of the soundscape. In tandem, the strings also possess an unbraced demeanor to their playing, as though the chords' tension is pliable, meandering without breaking its rhythmic strife.
“Conqueror and Annihilate” is a track which showcases the fluidity where the guitars are able to branch into a furious barrage of riffs which coalesce into a discordant cluster of chords, where the riffing is slowed down to match the galloping structure of the drums, then climbs into a groove-oriented pattern, morphing into thin, siren-like soloing, adding a contrast to its foreboding, doom-laden tone. Conversely, besides the slower-oriented movements of the guitars' dialogue, what is appreciated is their disposition to commune with the senses, for the weight of the melodies carves into our very being a path for us to feel, for us to walk upon, for through sound, this is what becomes the tracks which lead the mind unto different sensations.
Through the traversal of this eldritch universe contained within our core, we experience different sensations, different vibrations, for through experience, our very consciousness becomes transformed. Like the drumming which shapes the atmosphere, every beat carving and twisting the malleable spirit, so too does the transmission render our soul in a different shape, for the embers of rage, sadness, and joy become quelled. Instead, what is set ablaze becomes the inferno of a virulent spirit, devoid of human emotion.
The drumming here becomes the most expressive element upon the EP, where it can be looked upon as a nerve stricken with fever, swelling and throbbing incessantly, the pressure building against the flesh of the temple. Transformed with clarity and a sense of physicality, the drumming exudes a thick, abrasive sound, blunt in every strike, complementing the guitar's steel-like energy against a battery of thunderous percussive beats. A Death Metal approach is undertaken in the drumming, where its pummeling movements are felt in its weight, the shifting between the double kicks and fills, in turns fills the space carved from the guitars.
“Shades of Nothingness” is a track which shows the unison fostered between the percussions and the strings, though they vibrate at different frequencies of energies, each element complements each other for the guitars in this track acts as the frenetic essence, vehement in movement, however, the drumming anchors these malefic tone, adding a sense of gravitas to it within its density, a trait inherited throughout the EP.
Upon virgin lands that we discover in spirit, the very soil that entrances the mind to lay down its soul upon the very earth and integrate itself with it, it is through this fusion that we may hear the voice of this world, the very secrets to which the consciousness becomes attuned, like the vocals which curl around the atmosphere, binding it, slowly spiraling closer until the spirit becomes intertwined with its speech.
The vocals on the EP become the prophetic resonance which beckons us into this realm, a voice so robust in its candor that we dare not look upon it with naked eyes. Instead, we bow our heads to shield ourselves from its splendor of radiance. Burrowing into the soundscape, the vocals exude their cadence, for the vocals mask it in a thunderous manner wherein the speech becomes slow, methodical, as though it is a rumble beneath the earthen floor. “Ogdru Jahad” is a track which demonstrates this aura, where the instruments around the vocals represent the fast, rhythmic pace, while the vocals remain in the same register, at the same speed. This contrast also amplifies the atmosphere, for it is like a chant being recited amidst the body being within the eye of a storm. Chaos surrounds it, yet the words uttered from lips, though paced and slow, carry with them the same weight and expulsion as that which circles it.
The serpent that slithers within the veins of man, the very veritable threads of pain and pleasure that sear the flesh, transfigures its essence into the sounds of Hekataion, for through the traversal of one's own agony, through the catacombs of rage, the weakness that is blithe upon the soul is left behind, for what emerges is the archaic magick of a flickering tongue etched unto the mind.
9/10
