(written by Islander)
For the sixth time in the last five years we turn to the enigmatic U.S. black metal band Glyph, whose fourth album is being released today by Snow Wolf Records and Fiadh Productions. We gather that the project has had an uncertain future, perhaps drifting toward an end in favor of its sole creator’s other endeavors, and yet (thankfully) that time hasn’t arrived. As the album’s title says it, the pendulum swings yet….
Glyph’s convention-defying music has never been mundane, and for some listeners it might be “challenging”. At peak intensity (which is a frequent occurrence) it’s capable of creating electrifying experiences of overpowering catastrophe, an outlet for apparent pain and rage rendered in dazzling and delirious yet sometimes disorienting terms. In other less extravagant dimensions (a highly relative term in the case of Glyph) the music is capable of becoming spellbinding, but even then it tends to be emotionally harrowing.
It’s only fair that new listeners understand this when venturing into the new album, which we’re now premiering in full. It’s also worth understanding what was running through Glyph’s mind when creating these seven songs:
“This album is centered on self reflection and living in my own head to the point of wondering whether or not the vision and work put into creating anything at all is worth the sacrifice of self that not only must be made in the creative process but the sacrifice of self that must be made to even have the inspiration to create.”
The name of the album’s final song is a pointed but unsettling reflection of such sentiments: “my life’s work will be my eventual undoing“. Not all of the other song titles are that directly downcast — the meanings of some are more obscure — but the music is a remarkable tapestry of sound from beginning to end.
The opening number, “of the resolution“, re-introduces listeners to Glyph’s amalgam of blazing stratospheric sheen, beautifully fluid melodic soloing, constant percussive dynamism, and shattering vocal intensity. It’s an elaborate and breathtaking experience. The music burns and also sways; it generates vast cascades of wonder but also creates periods of extreme stress; it includes reprises of the enticing opening guitar solo but also a bass solo that demonstrates how varied Glyph’s musical interests are.
In listening you might get flashes of “Big Band” jazz (at least I did), as well as flashes of prog rock, in the midst of black-metal wildfire. Deftly, the music also changes moods; sometimes it seems exultant, and at others traumatic.
Likewise, Glyph packs the following six songs with a plethora of hook-laden riffs and melodic guitar-leads (which almost always have an exotic air), eye-popping drum escapades, and equally elaborate layers of guitar and orchestration that create equally head-spinning stylistic amalgams. Thankfully, despite how much is going on within the songs, Glyph still manages to give places of prominence to the bass performances, which are continually remarkable.
Some of the songs seem more joyful (“to the council“) and others more frighteningly deranged and disturbed (“the prophecies are clear and rife with warnings“). “draw from him all which does not meet thy pain” includes haunting acoustic-guitar performances but it’s also a hard-charging neck-bender and a glorious musical spectacle (and further, it’s home to some of the album’s most exotic melodies).
“you have forgotten your past but I will teach you to remember” sounds like diabolical sorcery, like a powerfully seductive but dangerous spell (the bass really shines in that one, and the dancing and shimmering keyboard melodies are equally alluring), while “in time you will feel the warm embrace of the sea” feels even more fiendish but also even more resplendent.
It’s remarkable that this music seems to be the work of only one person instead of a much larger cast. It’s also remarkable how many schools of music beyond the bounds of metal are reflected in the songs. Even that closing song with the very daunting and depressive title is thoroughly captivating. Yes, some sorrowful and distressing melodies flow through it, and its blast-driven crescendo of intensity is frightening, but it’s also a fervently striving piece of music, one bursting with irrepressible creative life — and one final showcase for prog-rock keys, a beautifully flickering guitar solo, and lots of wonderful bass riffs (among other things).
Well, who knows? Maybe Glyph’s creator will stop its pendulum and put the motionless project in a cold tomb, but man, I hope not. There’s just not much other music out there that sounds like this. I hope you’ll add your encouragement to mine and add this album to your collection on this Bandcamp Friday.
And now here’s the music!
As noted, the pendulum swings yet… will be available today from Snow Wolf Records (CD and digital) and Fiadh Productions (cassette tape). To get it, visit the locations linked below.
ORDER:
https://keeperoftheglyph.bandcamp.com/album/the-pendulum-swings-yet-2
https://fiadh.bandcamp.com/