[since I did promise to write a review once in a while for ‘older’ releases by bands and / or projects and / or artists and / or labels and / or distributors (etc.) that I do adore (personally and / or musically), I will finish this older release. This one is for Stu in the first place and his Aesthetic Death hordes, this one is for all of us]
Dawn Of A Lifeless Life, a title that reeks of joy, bliss and frivolity, is a split, featuring two of Germany’s most cheerful combos, Berlin’s Urza and Leipzig-based Calliophis. Both of them contribute with two epics each, but I’ll come back to this immediately. The split-release was released in Spring 2024 (I know, it’s been about two years, yet then again it is never, ever, too late to support such noble material) digitally and physically. The digital version is available via both labels involved, as well as both bands, while the CD gets released via Aesthetic Death (eternal appreciation), and the vinyl through Meuse Music Records. The latter comes in two different units: so-called ‘cosmic azure’ (200 pieces) and ‘void noir’ (100 copies). The compact-disc is limited to 500 pressings, released as eight-page digipack. It comes with a somewhat sober layout in dark colors, yet also with very fine visual cover artistry, showing a pyramid-like statue reaching for the distant moon, surrounded by cloud-waves of darkened disturbance / substance. The reflecting effect on the physical pressings of both band’s logo, by the way, is a stunning discoverable surplus as well. Artwork and layout are courtesy of respectively Ole Fink and MTTHS, assisted by the honorable Stijn ‘SVC’ himself.
The lengthy split (Dawn Of A Lifeless Life clocks about forty-six minutes) opens with two hymns by Urza, a band that did celebrate its tenth anniversary last year. The five-piece (vocalist Thomas, bassist Marc, drummer Hannes [who left the combo in the meantime, by the way] and guitar players Olli [who also writes the band’s mirthful poetry] and Steps) recorded this material as from late Autumn 2022 up till Spring 2023.
After a short introduction, like distant rain and haunting drum rolls, Maunder Minimum (13:14) offers the audience a really breath-taking experience as from the very first notes. I cannot but mention my awe, for these first moments immediately, and deeply, remind me of the legendary Ahab’s earliest years (The Call Of The Wretched Sea & The Divinity Of Oceans); these mesmerizing riffs, thunderous drum patterns and deep-rooted strings; it’s a heart-caressing, breath-taking magnificence of sheer beauty in the first place, yet drenched in grief and woe, despite its elegance. Haunting and gloomy melodies, supported by slightly sludgy strings and monolithic percussions, create a sonic wall of funereal atmospheres. After about three minutes, voices join; indeed, the typifying deep-tuned growls that characterize this kind of Aural Art. Okay, it does not show any allude of invention or experiment, but why should it anyway? Sorrowful leads, tempo-changes à la My Dying Bride (you know, with these interactive drum-beats and subtle riff-accelerations), eccentric four-string interludes, anvil-splitting thunder-drums; it’s all part of this bleak, dreary hymn.
The second piece, Through Ages Of Colossal Embitterment (10:35), goes on in a comparable vein. Here too, the sound quality lacks clinically-corrected tidiness; on the contrary, the production offers an unchaste roughness that strengthens the massive sonic vigor (ah, I adore this approach!). Remarkable, then again, is the increased attitude of bellicosity. Pugnacious parts interact with colossal chapters of deadened doom-epicism, esoteric, overpowering, dramatic and intolerant at the very same time. There is little more variation, with more attention for the bass-lines, more alterations in structure and speed (mind the few aggressive accelerations!), clean vocals (by Christian ‘Maacki’ Maack, co-member in Norkh with Urza’s Stefan ‘Steps’ Laurin), and more melancholy instead of a funereal nostalgia.
For fans of Tetramorph Impure, Mesmur or Suffer Yourself, for the Aesthetic Death files, or Ahab, Descend Into Despair, Evoken or Abstract Spirit, as well as aforementioned My Dying Bride (!), if you want to…
The two other symphonies follow the same line, yet with a more goth-atmospheric and less funeral approach. Calliophis, spawned from the ashes of Disobedience (and nowadays consisting of guitarist Matthias, bassist Andreas, vocalist / lyricist Thomas and drummer Florian), recorded everything in 2023, with mixing and mastering duties done at Die Tonmeisterei.
This quartet’s contribution starts with Trepak (11:05), at first offering a short yet mesmeric, icy intro, with Dark Ambient atmospheres, Shoegaze-inspired (acoustic) strings and jazzy drum patterns. After about two minutes, things evolve into sort of a traditional execution of Doom-Death Metal of the most melancholic yet pugnacious kind. Parts driven by nostalgic string-leads, forceful rhythm guitars, pushing drums and deep growls interact with calmer passages created around esoteric synths, then again transforming into distantly progressive sections, or old styled fragments with rumbling drum patterns, hypnotic leads / enchanting solos, and even some blackened throat-eruptions.
The split ends with Endure Your Depression (10:57), also opening with a meditative – or is it sedative – introductions. Floating dual-riffage, thunderous percussions, beastly grunts, and powerful rhythm strings are the spine of this composition, once again injected with acoustic / atmospheric / ambient interludes. Mind the magical drum patterns and the gloomy guitars at the 3:30 intermezzo, for instance. The sound-quality is neat, conserving a certain requisite roughness, yet fairly well-balanced in mixture (read: an excellent equilibrium in between both lead and rhythm instruments and vocals). And the use of Shoegaze / Post-Rock-like tremolo guitar harmonies adds a hint of uniqueness onto the tradition of old-styled Doom-Death elegance.
For fans of The Howling Void, Doom:VS, Woebegone Obscure, Swallow The Sun or Sinister Downfall, amongst others…
https://www.aestheticdeath.com/releases.php?mode=singleitem&albumid=6302
https://meusemusicrecords.bandcamp.com/album/urza-calliophis-dawn-of-a-lifeless-age-split-mmr041
https://urza-doom.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-a-lifeless-age-split-with-calliophis
https://calliophis.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-of-a-lifeless-age-split-w-urza
https://www.meusemusicrecords.eu/releases.html