Black Table have been on hiatus for four years, but that time away has only made them stronger and much more formidable.
Obelisk is a travelogue of torment, marked by off-kilter guitar lines and the extraordinary voice of Mers Sumida. She sounds like she’s being wrenched from the abyss and spun out into the stars, her voice taking on multiple dimensions even within the same song, much as the band do themselves.
Obtuse starts in a state of fury yet takes a moment to rest and showcase glittering guitars that cascade into post-rock territory before being thrust back into sludgy rhythms and horror and Sumida’s genuinely disturbing approach. In essence, Black Table are a black metal band, but the dirtier tones and occasional bright guitar give them a little something extra. Shadow is a such bewildering centrifuge of sorrow sounds that the still-devastating, mottled, doom-laden trials of Gargantua and then Cromagnon offer comparative respite. This NY quartet are worth investing in.
