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The Great Old Ones - Cosmicism review




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8.11
Band: The Great Old Ones
Album: Cosmicism
Release date: October 2019


01. Cosmic Depths
02. The Omniscient
03. Of Dementia
04. Lost Carcosa
05. A Thousand Young
06. Dreams Of The Nuclear Chaos
07. Nyarlathotep
08. To A Dreamer [limited edition bonus]

Raise those tentacles high and sing to the Outer Gods. The hottest Lovecraft nerds in the French metal scene are back in town.

So yeah, The Great Old Ones. I've been a pretty big fan of these guys ever since they dropped their mesmerizing debut back in 2012 (which seems like a dog's age ago, good Yog-Sothoth are we really nearing the end of the decade?). While Lovecraft themes can often feel a bit trite within the context of metal, especially extreme metal, The Great Old Ones' take on their HP inspired, atmospheric brand of black metal has always somehow felt a lot more mature, genuine, and reflective of the proverbial "source material" than that of many other bands working with similar themes. On Cosmicism, their fourth full length, the formula is really changed very little. Soaring, entrancing black metal with a pleasant variation in tempo dominates, interspersed with various dreamlike melodic breaks that serve to reinforce a more ethereal vibe, all topped off by front man Benjamin Guerry howling tales of colors out of space, horrors at Dunwich, and crawling chaoses.

Particularly satisfying on Cosmicism, and which seem to be slightly more abundant than on past albums, are the slower, more midtempo moments. Somehow these appear to make all the grandiosity of The Great Old Ones' composition shine a tad more, allowing for a greater absorbing of all the layers on the part of the listener and offering up opportunity for a slightly more meditative, ritualistic immersion in the music that only serves to go better with all the cosmic deity themes. "Lost Carcosa" and the closing "Nyarlathotep" are especially good in this regard, the latter of which is almost flawless in recreating the feeling that you're watching the immensely powerful deity in your mind's eye as the Black Pharaoh, slowly and devilishly recruiting his followers.

One could be tempted with Cosmicism to complain about a lack of forward evolution songwriting wise for The Great Old Ones, as all of their releases including this one really aren't that different from each other, but when their formula is already so well executed and effective, what really needs changing? If Cosmicism does one thing, it only continues to prove that even if these guys choose to keep themselves somewhat resigned to one style, they're damn good at consistently generating it in top form. Here The Great Old Ones maintain themselves as having a great relevance to their scene and being a real treat for listeners looking for a bit more substance out of Lovecraft metal.

The garçons français have done our Great Lord Azathoth proud yet again. Descend once more into the murky pits of R'lyeh.






Written on 27.11.2019 by Metal Storm’s own Babalao. Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable since 2013.


Comments

Comments: 11   [ 1 ignored ]   Visited by: 164 users
27.11.2019 - 07:28
Rating: 9
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
It arises from the deep
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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27.11.2019 - 07:43
The Entity

This is a great album, sounds like I need to check their back catalouge
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https://enigmaticalofficial.bandcamp.com/
Industrial / Cosmic Black Metal
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27.11.2019 - 13:05
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Great band
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Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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27.11.2019 - 20:41
Rating: 8
musclassia

I've always kinda liked their music, but this was the first release of theirs that really impressed me, to the extent that it inspired me to retry Tekeli-Li, which I felt fonder for this time
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27.11.2019 - 21:10
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by musclassia on 27.11.2019 at 20:41

I've always kinda liked their music, but this was the first release of theirs that really impressed me, to the extent that it inspired me to retry Tekeli-Li, which I felt fonder for this time

Tekeli-Li is still probably my favorite, but only by a slight margin. Love that one long track with the eerie spoken word section in the middle, Antarctica if I recall correctly?
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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27.11.2019 - 21:18
Zap
Guest
Written by Auntie Sahar on 27.11.2019 at 21:10

Tekeli-Li is still probably my favorite, but only by a slight margin. Love that one long track with the eerie spoken word section in the middle, Antarctica if I recall correctly?

I think you mean Below The Mountain or something like that.
And yeah that's an awesome song.
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28.11.2019 - 00:31
nikarg

I don't think they can surpass Tekeli-Li but this is a good album.
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28.11.2019 - 20:34
Czerny Reiter

Four albums in, I find them to be playing a bit too safe, with a lack of artistic progression clearly showing. On the other hand we've been treated to four "good to very good" albums. Tekeli-li remains the high point, on that we can agree.
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29.11.2019 - 03:40
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by Czerny Reiter on 28.11.2019 at 20:34

Four albums in, I find them to be playing a bit too safe, with a lack of artistic progression clearly showing. On the other hand we've been treated to four "good to very good" albums.

That's the point I was kind of getting at in the last paragraph here, but again, as you said, it's not like their albums are of poor quality or anything. There's not any one I'd regard as less than an 8, maybe 7.5 at the absolute least. I can live with the sense of repetition across their albums when the music is this good
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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29.11.2019 - 03:43
Auntie Sahar
Drone Empress
Written by nikarg on 28.11.2019 at 00:31

I don't think they can surpass Tekeli-Li

Agreed, but Nyarlathotep is one of the best tracks they've ever done I think
----
I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

~ II. VII
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29.11.2019 - 07:21
Rating: 8
Lord Slothrop

Finally got around to picking this up and after one listen would say it's a solid 8. I own Tekeli-lil and enjoy it, but EOD is where I broke my cherry with them and is still my favorite. But I should give Tekeli-lil some more attention. And I 100% agree w/r/t to Nyarlathotep... that song is a near perfect 10.
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