VINĀYAKAS REVIEW
Souls may offer unto their deity the harvest of the land, anoint their statues in milk and honey, as tapers are lit so that the fragrance may commune with a higher being. All done to connect with a force that be perceived to be greater than oneself, but what if the same consciousness were to forge its own effigy in the image of the self, to use vehemence as the clay that be shaped, and in its crude form, we kneel to our own vices, letting that which is bound become free to inhabit our flesh. For when the caverns that hold these forces at bay are emptied, unto us they crawl and copulate, and rage becomes the essence that is injected into us.
“Cleansed by the Ancient Fire” by Vināyakas transforms into an ancient being that crawls within the recess behind the veils of one's own void, for when the soul finally peers through, the mind merges with its spirit and takes birth in physical form. An EP that reverberates with the caustic nature of Black and Death Metal, Vināyakas forms a ritual in sound akin to bands such as Proclamation and Revenge, with the carnivorous spirit of Tetragrammacide and Kapala. The band injects its own DNA into this ever-flowing current that pulsates in ecstasy.
A wall of reverb becomes expelled by the guitars, where the senses become the mediator between these elements, as though each riff edges closer and closer to perforating the mind. Fluidity in a rudimentary form is adopted in the riffing patterns as the strings meander, climb, and rush, as though they are trying to suffocate the other instrumental elements, but not in a negative way, where it seems as though the others are suffering. Quite the contrary, for the instruments are like rabid dogs, gnawing at each other's necks, nipping at the feet with teeth bared at each other, for ferocity in its unmasked self becomes the foundation for the guitars.
“Ruinous War Against the Kingdom of Two Suns” showcases this, as the production rips the flesh from the strings, exposing them in a raw, volatile state. Their metallic resonance becomes accentuated, where their tonal shape feels as though shards of barbed wire are being transformed from every note. The riffing structures themselves undergo a mantra-like movement, which is then complemented by shifting tones, where the strings would catapult into a thin, caustic solo or just sink deeper and deeper, burrowing into the soundscape.
Verily, even though Vināyakas manifests a sonic assault with the strings, the act does not become the pinnacle of its creation. Rather, it arrives in its innate nature of malevolence to pierce the mind and secrete its venom, for its transmission of energy through the strings becomes the body that fights against its spirit, but in the same breath lets it tear asunder its own oratory from within.
A ritualistic sensation diffuses itself into the drumming cadence through its constant battery, as though each beat in aggression is a transmission of communication that seeks to make contact within the abyss that is within ourselves. Every beat feels animated, as the production renders it in a live, primal tone, as though the soul is a part of this ceremony, where its energy and the warmth of its textures are felt upon the flesh. An intimate element is also uncovered, for the drumming shapes itself in an iterative way, as certain structures are looped. This, in turn, grants the EP a meditative aspect, for if one were to focus on the fills and the barrage, it feels as though the senses are sinking further into the actual sound, as though each beat beckons the soul to its descent.
However, the percussion does employ moments where it branches into a more groove-laden beat, breaking up the tirade by also morphing into a slower pace, where the drums ride in a rhythmic wave to the cadence of the strings. “Serpents of Hiranyakashipu” is a track that shows the atmospheric side of the percussion, as the cymbals are further used to enhance the ritualistic proportions, as each crash sounds crude yet shimmering, coupled with the boisterous swagger of the drumming, a trait that permeates through the EP.
Along the traversal of these plains, we wish to find our own voice, naught the words spoken by our mortal tongues, but to find the true voice that lies beyond this mortal coil. So much a soul may cauterize the worm that be the tongue, so that through affliction, one's own voice may be unleashed, unhindered. The vocals on the EP come forth as an eruption, switching between the cadence of Black and Death Metal, where an abrasive register contrasts the lower guttural tone.
However, the varying registers are not the gleaming aspect of the album. Rather, it is their texture and essence, for the vocals inhabit a crawling attitude, as though the very words become smoke that curls from the lips, their vapor acrid in its stench while they ascend, while the more guttural cadence feels forbidding, as though an entity is speaking through the belly of man, where you can feel the diaphragm contract, as portrayed on “Martyrdom of Light and Tranquility.” Amidst the vocals’ prowess comes their symbiosis to exist between the instruments, as well as adding their own energy, by extension magnifying the esoteric nature of the EP.
Amidst its short runtime, “Cleansed by the Ancient Fire” is an EP that encapsulates the genre's spirit perfectly in a ceremonial cadence, giving an experience unto the senses that shifts with every listening journey, engulfing the mind in its inhibition.
Vināyakas becomes the firmament that separates the mind from the emotions that breed weakness, to be cast into the pyres, letting the smoke choke the heavens. From the ashes of one's remains, smear the body with the pungent stench of decadence, let it rest on the tongue, for it is through the death and digestion of oneself that one may transcend with rage nestled in the core of one's mind.
9/10
