(written by Islander)
Last November Black Lion Records released a second album by Deconstructing Sequence named Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora. The band had been formed in the UK by Tiberius, but he relocated to Szczecin, Poland, and began shaping a new creative direction for the band that’s now manifested through this new album.
The new album leans much further into black metal than the debut album, Cosmic Progression: An Agonizing Journey Through the Oddities of Space (which we reviewed here), but also pushes even further forward into the progressive and avant-garde territories explored in that debut. As Black Lion summarized:
Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora blends the furious riffing of Mayhem, the majestic elements of DHG and Emperor, and the haunting depth of Akhlys, forging a journey through idiosyncratic sound and vision.
Tiberius recorded the album with new drummer Dark Soul and also recruited a new lineup for live performances. As an explosive reminder of what Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora encompasses, today we’re premiering a striking video for an unhinged and thoroughly heart-hammering song from the album named “The Undying Void“.
To set the stage, here’s a synopsis of the album’s narrative provided on behalf of Black Lion:
Tenebris Cosmicis Tempora unfolds as an allegory of humanity’s self-destruction and self-conceit. It follows the last human’s journey from Earth’s destruction to his transformation into a godlike being consumed by his own creation. Guided first by Lucifer and later corrupted by cosmic forces, he witnesses the collapse of faith, power, and meaning. In his quest to control and recreate existence, he becomes the very force of ruin he once fled — until only the void remains, reflecting the eternal flaw of humanity itself…. What remains is a perfect being, capable of creating new worlds — completely pure, free from religion and the rules of man.
Deconstructing Sequence begin “The Undying Void” with a long, violent scream that’s backed by other manifestations of rampant violence — furiously battering drums, blazing guitar flurries, and stop-start bursts of bludgeoning, gouging groove.
The screams and the hyper-speed drumming go on, but the riffing starts roiling in a way that sounds simultaneously dismal and sinister, conjuring a frightening form of oppressiveness. The drum pattern shifts into a steadier and more rocking beat and then erupts again as the riffing grows more desperate and desolate — and the shifts continue.
The music also sears and soars, like a tidal wave of flame. Only near the end do the drums briefly fall silent, and the music both vibrantly glitters and ominously towers, creating visions of monstrous majesty.
Speaking of visions, the video, recorded and produced by Łukasz Grosik from Remedy Brand, is a fitting presentation of the song — because it’s also furious and frightening. The masked band members throw themselves headlong into the music, and the film amplifies their raging energy with fast cuts, changed lighting, and changed perspectives (while also making effective use of the album’s artwork).
All in all, it’s Grade A adrenaline fuel, high octane for your blood.
BUY/STREAM:
https://deconstructingthesequenceblacklion.bandcamp.com/album/tenebris-cosmicis-tempora
https://music.blacklion.nu/Deconstructing-Sequence
DECONTRUCTING SEQUENCE:
https://dsprogart.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DeconstructingSequence/
https://www.instagram.com/deconstructingsequence/
https://open.spotify.com/artist/07sdPFuNsIkhp3Iey9d0ID