Style: religious themed blackened death metal
Primary Emotions/Themes: The horrors that live in the ocean, that which is unknown
Thoughts: What lies in the depths of the earth? What dwells in the deep below? These questions largely remain unanswered... and where the unknown prevails, so does fear. Fear of that which we do not... cannot understand. Fear of the things that are beyond our grasp to control, to comprehend. Schammasch preys on those same fears.
Schammasch's music has always been hit or miss with me. Some of their releases seem over long and meandering without much payoff if any. Other times though the band manages to craft music so powerful and intricate that it's incredibly difficult to deny how potent it is. Fortunately Old Ocean falls within the second of these two categories.
The first Maldoror Chant was one of my favorite outings of the band. It had a deep unsettling feeling that started the instant the needle hit the record and continued throughout the entirety of the 30 minute song. They displayed their mastery of dynamics and ability to create a foreboding atmosphere with minimal effort. Hermaphrodite was easily one of the best records in the year it was released.
When I heard the title of the new album I was cautiously hopeful. Both Triangle and Hearts of no Light were disappointments for different reason. Triangle seemed overly self important and never really unleashed the fury that I knew the band was capable of... overall it seemed way too restrained. Heart of No Light simply never grabbed me. I don't remember a single thing about that album, no matter how many times I listen to it.
This all led into my anticipation of Old Ocean, and upon my first full listen I was disappointed. I didn't hear the foreboding that I was hoping would be there. I thought the songs were too long - even for Schammasch's taste. There were a few standout moments but overall I walked away from the album feeling like the band's glory days were done.
Something called me back though. Something from the depths called to me, beckoned me back to the album... and after a few months I relented. What I heard on my second listen was a completely different experience.
Where I once heard a benign collection of riffs, I now heard a well constructed flurry of both peace and deeply unsettling riffs that pulled me into its clutches like a roaring rip tide. These songs had nothing altered from one listen to the next. No, I simply was not ready to accept the album for what it was: a tour de force of extreme metal.
The songs, while long, use that length to tell stories - both lyrically and musically. There are extended periods of peace and comfort only for those moments to be obliterated by the absolute fury of Schammasch. The finest example of this is the first track in its entirety.
Crystal Waves takes a slow build and builds it over the first seven to eight minutes of the tracks thirteen minute play time. During this time you can feel a rising fury coming from the depths of the bands instruments, yet it is restrained... barely. It's not until the band fully unleashes with blast beats and furious riffing that the beast is fully unleashed upon the listener. This song still blows me away even having listened to it many times as of this writing.
To follow this ferocity up the band returns to their deceptively peaceful ways on A Somber Mystery. This instrumental returns the listener to a newly shaken state of peace. We have seen what the band is capable of... and we now know that we are no longer safe. Our foundation of security is fractured.
This is the ongoing dialog of Old Ocean: Never take your security for granted. Never be content in peace for it is fleeting. The unknowns of that which we do not understand can shatter our foundation in an instant. Even it if it is restored we are forever changed. Welcome back Schammasch, you were sorely missed.
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