AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE: DENDRITIC ARBOR — “SENTIENT VILLAGE / OBSOLESCENT GARDEN”

(Austin Weber presents our full streaming premiere of the new EP by Dendritic Arbor.)

As strong a year as 2015 was for both established and new metal groups, I don’t think anyone had as impressive a year as Pittsburgh-based black metal noisey grinders Dendritic Arbor.

While I’d been tipped off to their existence prior to this year, for most people they came out of nowhere and shot right up to a fairly high amount of name recognition and warranted praise. In today’s crowded climate, that’s especially impressive.

First they released one of my favorite records of the year, Romantic Love. Then I got to see them live, which only furthered my love and appreciation for what they do. Then they snagged a spot on MetalSucks‘ partnership with Converse to help a few worthy bands record music for free and MetalSucks premiered the results of that effort, with a song that I assume will be coming soon in a further release..

As if that weren’t enough, they’ve got a whole new release for our ears before year-end with Sentient Village//Obsolescent Garden, a devastating 4-song EP that comes out December 30th. I previously premiered the opening track, “Cotard Delusion”, at Metal-Injection a few weeks back, and it’s one hell of an aural mindfuck. The rest of the music is just as good, and covers a wide palette of sounds the further you sink into its maddening pitch-black depths.

While the music on Sentient Village//Obsolescent Garden comes from the same unhinged well of black metal, grind, powerviolence, and noise influences, the result here seems even grimmer and uglier than the already putrid sound they displayed throughout Romantic Love. But seeing as the group’s goal has always been to offer “Different music from different perspectives” (to quote them), this fits with their ethos of perpetual experimentation. If writhing waves of nightmares-made-sound seems enticing, then this is your go-to jam for horrific joy when the day and mood call for it.

https://dendriticarbors.bandcamp.com/album/sentient-village-obsolescent-garden
https://www.facebook.com/DendriticArbor/