Stoic Dissention are a band from Colorado, formed in 2010 by former and / or current members from e.g. defunct Acheronian Dirge and Centimani. The five-piece had two independently released recordings, the EP Senium in 2011, and the debut full length Relinquished (A Crumbling Monument Witnessed By None) in 2012. Now Stoic Dissention return with Autochthon. This second full length studio album will be released via Rain Without End Records, which actually is a Canada-based sub-division of Naturmacht Productions from Germany.
Autochthon lasts for an hour, going for six tracks. Indeed, the average duration is pretty lengthy. Opening song Wolcnum lasts for fifteen minutes, and is a mostly depressing piece of Funeral Black / Doom. The elements are: eerie melodic riffs, dreamy yet haunting (read: nightmarish) tremolo leads, pummelling bass lines (of a very high quality), strongly supportive drum patterns, and ultra-deep, tortured screams. On top of it come elements from the old styled Doom-Death scene, with a focus on the English one (think My Dying Bride and very early Anathema, though the likes of Evoken or Unholy are not that strange either), with inclusion of hallucinating spheres (Esoteric and Thergothon come to mind), dissonant structures (Agalloch, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord), Funeral Doom-details (Woods Of Belial, Mordor etc.), Second Wave-grimness (Burzum, early Satyricon and the likes), and even proggy elements (Porcupine Tree, Arcturus, Ulver). There are so many levels within this multi-dimensional but highly occult composition, if only it goes for the variation on tempos or, believe it or not, emotive inserts. Weathered Stones is shorter with its ten minutes of length (smiley…), but it’s even weirder. This highly massive piece injects the very same funereally-doomy attitude of the opening song with a quasi-avant-garde approach and a droning Sludge-sound, limiting ‘normality’ with sardonic pleasure to a level of semi non-existence. The second half of this song, for example, is some Prog-Jazz alike sonic experiment, yet still with a mostly oppressive, obscure atmosphere. Very, very unusual and difficult to experience. A Fevered Grip starts more like a bleak and blackened Funeral Doom epic à la early Ahab or Abstract Algebra. But soon it turns out to be more eccentric, with progressive drum patterns (yet of a quality so high, seldom in execution), emotive-atmospheric guitar leads, fire-breathing vocals, and a rhythm section as heavy as f***. Here too the second part is different from the first half, with an approach that combines epic majesty with ritual and progressive details. The Father Of My Trials initially reminds me to a mixture of Mordor and Acid Witch, soon destroyed by psychotropic Portal-meet-Aevangelist-oriented morbidity, as well as some Post-Black-alike nastiness. This Feral Temple is, at least initially, inspired by the hallucinogenic side of the Post-Rock scene, with elements from Shoegaze and Prog, and The Eldritch And The Atavistic might be the most blackish assault on this highly (read: HIGHly) unusual album.
No matter if you’re into the likes of Blut Aus Nord, Deathspell Omega, Urna, Aevangelist, Esoteric, Agalloch or Altar Of Plagues, you just have to experience this weird opportunity. But be warned: it might cause brain damage. Or better: it will cause brain damage. But do not mind; I listened to it a couple of times in mean time and I’m still housebroken. But in conclusion: Autochthon stands miles away from ‘the average’. This album is extreme and harsh, an experience that needs perseverance, but it is worth it! Oh yes, it is worth it for sure, if only you dare to let it intruse your spirit…