Panchrysia

Deathcult Salvation

Karisma/Dark Essence 2008

On their third full length album these Belgians deal in deathly unfeeling black metal that veers towards an industrial atmosphere.  Though not truly an industrial black metal band, Panchrysia uses cold metallic beats and militant riffing that lends their music a mechanical touch.  On several of the tracks, such as With Dragon Wings and Morituri Te Salutant, I hear some musical parallels with Carpathian Forest though with a greater display of self control.  Fogbound is an interesting change of pace with dominatrix female vocals spitting out a diatribe over moody rhythms.  Most tracks are punctuated with sour notes and an spurts of disharmony which helps subtly unbalance the listener's mental state.  Panchrysia utilizes healthy doses of odd samples to introduce and closeout songs which add color to an otherwise very dismal and monotone canvas.  Panchrysia's approach to songwriting is very controlled, seldom raising the tempo very fast nor getting wild and hectic with the riffing or Zahrim's vocals.  Though they do burst forth with speed and vehement aggression on Bestial Sinful Dances.  The album features a guest vocal appearance from Mortuus (Marduk/Funeral Mist).  Though making a point of this is sort of selling Panchrysia short as they are worthy on their own merits to be deemed deserving of attention.  With Deathcult Salvation, Panchrysia has manufactured an album that is cold and emotionless, a testament to inhumanity in an unsympathetic world.  A perfect album to embody an apocalyptic annihilation of all life.  Deathcult Salvation is not for everyone but it is certainly for those who long for a mechanized and ash strewn landscape devoid of life.