Country (for what it’s worth): Russian Federation
Members: SAA (‘sermons & fuzzmagic aka guitars & vocals), PAN (skullhammers = drums & percussions), KKV (thunderbass, i.e. bass guitars & double bass)
Recording: Temple Of Silence Studio (Autumn 2021) (except drums: Wildboar Studio)
Mix & mastering: Denis ‘Memphis’ Petrov (Dekonstruktor) (PS: Dekonstruktor and Megalith Leviathan have a mutual effort, i.e. a split-album from 2020; link for the review: see below)
Artwork: GodLikeIkons (Alexey Sivitsky)
Type: six-page digipack with sixteen-paged booklet, which includes the lyrics (in English) and stunning, atypical visuals (Aesthetic Death & [addicted label]) / tape (Sounds Of Karachun)
Duration: 42:22
Genre: Sludge / Stoner / Acid injected Occult Doom Metal
After an intriguing split (with Dekonstruktor) and two full-lengths (Acid Doom Rites and Void Psalms), this trio returned with Obscure Fire, a five-tracker that represents Poetic Doom with a psycho-twisting attitude.
In the vein of the former recordings, Obscure Fire stands for a megalithic form of Occult Doom Metal with a psychedelic twist (also shown through the visual artwork, combining the occult and the psychedelic). It’s a varying sonic approach, with several changes in tempo. Yet beware, for that tempo dwells in regions of ultimate slowness. Only once in a while, the speed increases a little, yet the main tempo varies from mid-paced to, well, slothfully slow. The spine around the total experience is build, refers to the guitars especially. The five pieces on this album are sort of ‘melodious’, driven by a colossal interplay of four- and six-stringed guitars. It’s a real wall-of-sound, this string-section, yet without exaggerating bruteness. Actually, the song-writing (and execution) is of an intelligent level once more, with intriguing harmonies, inventive structures and audacious rhythms. The rhythms are pounding and energetic, injected by several hypnotic tremolo leads, fuzzy melodies, esoteric textures, psychotropic recitals and bewitching solos. All this gets heavily supported by a purely monumental drums-and-percussions section. The drums are at least as characteristic for the total sound, with rumbling, then again blasting artillery patterns, ultra-doomed beats or tribal-esque samples. The trancelike, intoxicated character behind the whole gets strengthened by the vocals. SAA’s vocal timbre is of the yammering kind – hey, and this is not a negative element in this case! His tonality has something beseeching, obtesting, convoking, sermonizing, while being drenched in a somewhat monotone entanglement. Once in a while, things turn more grim and stringent in his voice, yet the ceremonial and preaching content do remain throughout the whole album.
The production is of undeniably high-leveled pitch, with a focus on heaviness. The decent mix offers a righteous interplay of all members involved, and I am pretty sure that the vocals are somewhat ‘at the background’ on purpose; which works well, seen the occult, dark-ceremonial attitude and concept. The sound, especially when talking about the lead guitar riffage, offers that fantastic sludgy effect (do you hear that Amenra-alike sound too within the main theme of the first half from Of Silence?), without putting harshness above this band’s own-faced identity.
https://www.aestheticdeath.com/releases.php?mode=singleitem&albumid=5735
https://aestheticdeath.bandcamp.com/album/obscure-fire
https://megalithlevitation.bandcamp.com/album/obscure-fire
https://nokarachun.ru/tproduct/562780852-520325131501-megalith-levitation-obscure-fire-kasseta
https://noname666.bandcamp.com/
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/megalith-levitation-dekonstruktor
https://www.concreteweb.be/reviews/megalith-levitation