Teitanblood - Seven Chalices

2009, Norma Evangelium Diaboli/Ajna Offensive/Dauthus

1.	Whore Mass	03:10
2.	Domains of Darkness and Ancient Evil	06:36
3.	Interlude (Arabian title)	01:55
4.	Morbid Devil of Pestilence	06:50
5.	Interlude (Cuneiform title)	03:32
6.	Infernal Dance of the Wicked	04:51
7.	Interlude (Sanskrit title)	02:01
8.	Seven Chalices of Vomit and Blood	05:53
9.	Qliphotic Necromancy	02:31
10.	The Abomination of Desolation	12:10
11.	The Origin of Death	09:26

Teitanblood is a band that has really surprised me. Initially, I thought this band wasn't worth much. Granted, I had only heard some low fidelity analog rips from the internet, but I couldn't really get into it. After hearing the earlier material on the "Black Putrescence of Evil" compilation, I began to suspect that there might be a bit more to this band that I first thought. This album, however, out shadows anything that Teitanblood has done yet, and has turned out to be one of my favourites this year.

The production here is rather fitting - it's quite filthy. The guitar tone is dirty and bassy, but nothing really gets buried. All the instruments sound like a horrific machine working together to create some really dark death metal. Top that off with a really killer vocal performance with some cool reverb and delay, and you have yourself a winning combination.

Musically, "Seven Chalices" falls somewhere under the influence of Autopsy, Blasphemy, and Celtic Frost. The riffs are pretty primitive and brutal, and never really get technical. They are fairly memorable and will make any true death metal fan move their head. There's some riffs with more defined grooves, like in "Whore Mass", then there are some much faster riffs in the next track, "Domains of Darkness and Ancient Evil". The lead work is noisy and full of dive-bombs and runs, similar to Blasphemy. The track "Morbid Devil of Pestilence" has some absolutely deadly riffing, sounding like Celtic Frost's "Into Crypt Of Rays" with more muscle.

The songs get pretty involved on this album, especially by the end with 12 and 9 minute songs taking up the end. I've listened to this album over and over and not found myself thinking any tracks drag or sound redundant. The flow of this record is really quite nice, much in thanks to the alternation of songs and interludes.

There are several interludes to be found on this album, all with varying techniques and sounds. They all are eerie in their own ways, with usage of different stringed instruments. As it should, these interludes provide more of an overall atmosphere to "Seven Chalices".

The difference between Teitanblood and their comrades in Proclamation is simple: originality. Teitanblood's first full length offers a different twist, where as Proclamation just does what's already been done. I always thought Teitanblood was falling in that trap, but they certainly proved me wrong with "Seven Chalices". It's proved to be a ripping and really evil sounding record. The album's artwork and booklet are really pleasing due to its rather bizarre aesthetic. An album like this is definitely worth the purchase.
(from NIHILITY)

Download