Plasmodium – Towers of Silence

Experimentalism in metal has long been one of my absolute favorite things about the sound as a whole with the many halls and corridors that any given band can take the sound is oftentimes random and never repeated by any other act even if they tried. Yet, it’s something that we rarely get to see in any significant quantity for one reason or another, which makes any noteworthy attempt at experimental metal so massive for people like me. It’s been far too long since a really meaty slab of experimentation came my way, and it’s with the likes of Plasmodium and their absolutely insane upcoming effort that brings that drought to an end.

Very easily, we could sit down and talk about how many styles across all over extreme metal can easily be crafted to feel as though they’re truly going for the throat of the listener to create an overwhelming feeling of aggression and ferocity that permeates the entire work, but it’s not terribly often that we see it transformed into something that can be considered caustic on an extraordinary level. We see it attempt plenty of times, but it’s rare that it’s done well and it’s the whole of “Towers of Silence” that gives us five glorious examples of exactly how it’s done with the entire ride being downright schizophrenic in its nature while undeniable murderous in its intent with the work as a whole constantly shifting from one second to the next. Never once does Plasmodium tread over even the same foot of territory twice as it’s through the five-track, 47-minute mental onslaught that is “Towers of Silence” is constantly defying the fabric of reality itself with the instrumentation being the very soundtrack to multiple apocalypses across the cosmos with much of the ensuing periods of psychedelic lulls showcasing the remnants of planetary dust floating in that fresh void with the vocals being what invoke the powers of the universe to crack apart these worlds and sear the minds of those who witness such events, and it’s when that such a grandiose vision is brought together for one extremely visceral experience that one cannot help but cower before the raw awesome power of Plasmodium that never once lets up.

The work as a whole is the definition of all-consuming and to step into this reality-bender is to experience an album that takes the very concept of being experimental and takes it to a height that we rarely see dared anymore, and it’s with just the first track alone that Plasmodium smashes the competition with the remainder of “Towers of Silence” being the precise material that leaves the listener stunned and, in an appropriately sadistic way, wanting so much more.

“Towers of Silence” releases on April 30th via Transcending Obscurity Records!

LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Towers of Silence” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Plasmodium on Facebook here.