Fulfilling the potential shown on their self-titled EP two years ago, this Parisian trio have woven a progressive web – teeming with blackened grooves – in the form of this full- length debut. Transcendence is aptly named; cranked up to a suitable volume it immediately feels like a darker exploration of the soul as vocalist Vincent Dubout goes in pursuit of catharsis. Opener Stigmata Of The Purest Pain builds slowly towards cacophonous release, its maelstrom of hulking riffs and unhallowed growls enriched with sprawling melodies. Clean, choir-like refrains regularly creep into the fray, primarily in the immense conclusion to brooding eight-minute opus Mother Night and the quieter opening to The Legacy Of Arachne, and an atmospheric aura that more than once descends to temper the bludgeon. It’s an intense and introspective journey that’s well worth taking.
Theraphosa’s Transcendence album is a blackened exploration of the soul
French trio Theraphosa crank up the dark progressive grooves on new album Transcendence
(Image: © Season Of Mist)
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