For their sophomore album, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” Ch’ahom returns to the ominous ruins where lost civilizations practiced ritualistic sacrifice and dabbled in dark mysticism to appease wrathful deities. Although the band is from Essen, Germany, the music that they conjure up heavily explores lyrical themes referencing ancient Central and South American cultures, thus telling these vivid tales of terror and sheer brutality.
The band’s debut album, “Knots of Abhorrence,” which was released via Sentient Ruin is 2023 was an astonishing extreme metal release mixing death metal and black metal as well as incorporating some progressive rock elements. I will say that instead of just hammering out bloodthirsty riffs and singing about the same blasphemous topics you hear in most extreme metal band’s lyrics, Ch’ahom really stands out by creating their own unique extreme metal identity. “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” which is being released by 20 Buck Spin, definitely picks up where the band left off on “Knots of Abhorrence,” but seems to push the music into an even more savage direction. Just like the jungles of Central America, or the green inferno of the Amazon, Ch’ahom’s music exhumes this violent and unapologetic nature to where the jungle does not come across as a place where the little animals harmoniously get along, but instead establishes a domain where evil is lurking around every corner waiting to consume your soul.
The opening song on this album, “Cult of Xaman,” begins with these terrifying tribal noise that make you feel as though you are being carried upon a wooden blank towards a sacrificial altar atop a ancient pyramid. After the noises cease, the band unleashes a violent assault of blackened death destruction containing some utterly heart crushing rhythms and hellacious sounding riffs. I personally think the band’s vocalist has one of the strongest death growls around and the way he delivers the lyrics injects an unforgivingly bestial presence into the mix. On this opening track the band really offers up some dynamic extreme metal arrangements that keep you hooked until the very. For their second song, “Reign of Nohol,” the band pushes the listener further into the esoteric madness by crafting these frantically devastating guitar parts. Some of the riff sections are almost cinematic in nature and create these surrealistic noises to complement the entropic soundscape.
Ch’ahom is definitely a band that desires to bring the most abhorrent elements of old school death metal with putrid punishing black metal, and tracks such as “Priests of Lik’in” and “Chosen of Chk’in,” are fearsome offerings with a plethora of extreme creative moments. There were some riffs like on, “Chosen of Chk’in,” that were truly mesmerizing while at the same time haunting as if the notes from the guitar were casting some dark spell upon your mind. Plus, the drumming on this entire album was unfathomably ferocious and the drummer’s cataclysmic style was perfectly captured on each song. The final song on the album, “Insemination,” is a sinister sendoff and feels like the conclusion of ritualist nightmare, but then the track also leaves this lingering malevolent presence imbedded in your ears.
Overall, Ch’ahom’s, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation,” is a yet another profound offering of extreme metal music that would appease even the most ruthless and might ancient deity. I think their musicianship along with how they arranged the tracks on this album, were taken to an even greater level on this release, which is saying something given how much I enjoyed their deubt album. If you are a fan of extreme metal and you want to hear an album where the moment the music starts you cannot turn yourself away, then I would highly recommend Ch’ahom’s, “Anthropic Rites of Sublimation.” Once you hear the first song on the album, you will become lost in a jungle of pure inhuman hostility frantically looking for an escape from the relentless darkness pursuing you.
Check out the entire album below:
Links to where you can purchase the album:
https://www.20buckspin.com/collections/chahom
https://20buckspin.bandcamp.com/album/anthropic-rites-of-sublimation
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