Glaukom Synod - Ectoplasmic Revelations

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Mixing Metal elements with electronic effects and experimentalism created what is called Industrial Metal back in the second half of the 80’s. And those days saw the rising of extreme blends between Hardcore and Death Metal, giving rise to Grindcore. It was a matter of time to appear Industrial Death Metal, thanks to names as GODFLESH, MEETHOOK SEED (a side project from some OBITUARY and NAPALM DEATH members), so to see a band mixing Grindcore and Industrial Metal isn’t something that can’t be unimaginable. The French band GLAUKOM SYNOD does such thing, as can be heard on “Ectoplasmic Revelations”.

To be honest, these guys are doing something that mixes the brutality and extreme nasty playing of older NAPALM DEATH albums (especially of “From Enslavement to Obliteration” age), some parts of DEFECATION and old CARCASS with an experimental Industrial approach. In some moments, they could be seen as an aggressive and extreme version from Trance/Darkpsy Brazilian project BAPHOMET ENGINE. And being honest, it’s a form of music that isn’t easy to be digested by Metalheads in any genre that can be thought, especially for extreme Metal genres’ fans. But for those into Industrial Metal experimentalisms, it’ll be easier. The sonority that flows from “Ectoplasmic Revelations” is another mutant: it mixes the rough crude feeling from Grindcore earlier years and releases with the Industrial outfits that the listeners are used to hear. No, it’s not a fuzzy sound mass, but it’s brutal to the bones in a way that the listeners can understand.

The album has 11 songs, all of the good ways to make the formal definition of the word ‘chaos’ become a form of music. “Introduction to the New World (Repeat Again)”, “Hanged From the Inside (Post Modern Suffering)”, “The Taurus (Cosmic Tribulations)”, “Subliminal Master Song (Obliterated)”, “Demembrablia (Voyage, Blood & Remembrance)” and “Sodomized By the Past” are like Grindcore songs played by bands as SKAZI and INFECTED MUSHROOMS on their usual style, or in other words, are neared Trance/Psytrance and other electronic music genres. On “Glaukom Synod Vs Insane Order (Remix)” the Grindcore side of their musical way appears. And this sensation keeps during the seven bonus songs from “Vampires And Gorgeous Throats” Demo, with “Jungle Glaukom Fever” (the use of old Tarzan scream is hilarious), “Throattomb”, “Absoloz Omogr v1.0.5” and “The Iron Tongue (Razors in Your Mouth mix)” giving the idea that the band’s guy needs to improve even more, because they seem to don’t know what they want to be: a Trance/Electronic band or a Grindcore one.

“Ectoplasmic Revelations” isn’t a bad album, but GLAUKOM SYNOD needs to choose a path between Trance or Metal, or improve things on their next release to become more coherent.

Musicianship: 5
Songwriting: 6
Memorability: 6
Production: 8