Created by members of numerous veteran death metal bands from across Louisiana (Suture, Despondency and Catholicon), Excommunicated brings together said bands' disparate styles on 'The Skeleton Key' to create an eclectic and intriguing full length, a concept album in fact, delving into themes of religious hypocrisy, corruption and abuse in what lyricist Chad Kelly describes as "A dark treatise on the medieval Catholic Church". There is much of interest to be found here, and it's worth taking a paragraph to explore the album's themes in some depth before considering its musical merits.
A lot of thought has been invested in the project. The album's booklet is crammed with dense, damning verbiage, esoteric ramblings and proclamations in Latin. A prayer of induction into the Knights Templar shares space with accounts of acts committed behind a screen of moral absolutism, ranging from wild Vatican orgies and the selling off of the papal office for gold through to rape, murder and the infamous 'Corpse Trials' of the rotting Pope Formosus. The perspective of the narrative fluctuates throughout; some lyrics are in first person, from the view of the church itself, or from a position of vehement opposition, whilst others are simply descriptive, offering up accounts gleaned from various referenced sources. Some of these are likely exaggerations, or the inventions of political enemies, but others are accepted historical fact. Myriad historical quotes litter the margins, and there's even a glossary of terms at the end, making it near-impossible not to think of 'The Murder of Jesus the Jew', the recent opus by surrealist UKBM crusaders The Meads of Asphodel. Another concept album with a similar theme, 'Murder...' is based around 'Metatron's Codex', an accompanying 60,000 word essay on the Christ Myth which, whilst arguing that Christ likely did exist, systematically sets about exposing and dismantling the accumulated fabrications and dogmas built up by the Church in the intervening millennia. Similarly, so many ideas and themes are crammed into the booklet of 'The Skeleton Key' that it feels like a snapshot of some companion essay; one that's confused, incomplete and scattergun-like in its approach, but nevertheless gets its point across by virtue of sheer intoxication with the subject matter.
But onto the music. Here too, there is an abundance of variety, with every song sounding notably different whilst still remaining loosely anchored to a blackened DM framework . Some songs are fairly straightforward; 'The Incorruptibles’ is an exercise in clattering, breakneck DM pushed into overdrive, galloping along relentlessly at a savage pace before giving way to guitar squeals and some blink-and-you'll-miss-it Suffocation worship towards the end. 'Minutes of the Corpse Trials' meanwhile alternates between chunky, maniacally flailing riffs and passages of all-out blasting before settling down into a grinding, mid-tempo groove.
Whilst still incorporating DM passages, 'Cry to Heaven' takes a completely different tack, centering around a bouncy, positively upbeat riff and some unhurried, sadness-tinged, but ultimately rather cheerful melodic leads that wouldn't sound out of place on a gothic metal album. Well-crafted and dynamic, it's a surprisingly poppy and enjoyable song, although it must be said that this is very difficult to reconcile with the song's subject matter of institutionalized abuse. The oft-uncomfortable lyrics do have a positive bent in that they speak of striving to overcome past trauma and suffering, but the overall effect remains incongruous to say the least.
Things come together much more satisfyingly on 'The Vatican Orgies', a concise, unpretentious number which marries the half-delirious, crushing/crawling riffs and murky guitar tone of Immolation to some chunky Cannibal Corpse-style Neanderthal bludgeoning whilst salvos of accusatory accounts of papal crimes are growled and spat out with impunity. Whereas many of the tracks feel disjointed, everything here feels tight, authentic and effortlessly fluid. 'When Death Claims its Most Righteous Dead' is similarly satisfying, mixing up the doom-death sound of Paradise Lost's debut with deranged shedding, massive, stripped-down, Akercocke-like chugging riffs and guttural bellows to match.
'Keys to the Kingdom of God' sounds a lot like Marduk with its furious, whirlwind riffing, joining this to some angular melodic DM and a punishing Malevolent Creation-style breakdown, whilst the excellent 'Christ's Sword' is completely different again, swaying between languid, gothic doom, raw dual tremolo riffing, and a sudden unexpected burst of anarchic black/thrash before culminating in a stunning melodic guest-solo by King Diamond's Andy LaRocque.
As with the booklet, the songs on 'The Skeleton Key' dazzle with their variety and enthusiasm, but the seams remain very much visible throughout. Though rarely stunning, the compositions are consistently enjoyable, and what the album lacks in identity and direction it makes up for in eccentric charm and technical prowess. It sounds like what it is; a bunch of experienced death metal guys striving to create something different whilst still staying true to their roots. Though it falls short of being the masterpiece it clearly wants to be, 'The Skeleton Key' is nevertheless a passionate and inventive album that's more than worthy of your time.
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Ross Taylor
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