Thyrkron – Descendente Arcanjo Gabriel

Although our personal interests often force us to discuss releases by the more established cornerstones of the scene, from the very beginning LURKER’s fascination has always lain with those bands that do it for love, not glory or recognition; the ones that toil away in basements and shacks, thralls of DIY spirit, simply to create works of art they alone can be proud of. Perhaps unsurprisingly, musicians operating under the underground sometimes stumble across formulas alien to the world at large, and that’s when it gets particularly exciting. One such band thrust our way recently is Thyrkron, from Brazil, whose skewed, isolated interpretation of the black metal form makes it necessary to shed some light on them.

What makes this kind of music so empowering is that even fledgling bands can use it to express any range of lofty concepts and ideals that the artists may harbour. Black metal explicitly demands this, and Thyrkron deliver. Their self-recorded debut EP, Descendente Arcanjo Gabriel, tells the tale of the world’s rebirth through a strange allegory – God’s murder at the hands of Archangel Gabriel. Among other maddened ramblings, the correspondent stated: “We believe in an extremely anti-authoritarian/libertarian social system,” before hinting that Thyrkron’s next release would deal with the murder of human authority, rather than flagrant iconoclasm. They went on to reluctantly label themselves “eco-anarchists”.

So, with all these things in place, it is easy to start forming a preconception of how Thyrkron may sound. But any of these estimations, this lurker assures, will be way off the mark. Beneath the raw, flat recording and dishevelled delivery is a band bursting with passion that transcends their limitations. Across six untitled tracks, Descendente… blasts on at much the same rate throughout to discover many melodic twists and techniques generally absent from black metal on the way. The sloppy, broken twang of brutally strummed guitars not only betrays a sympathy to punk over the usual heavy metal overlords, but also makes vague nods to folk and the jaunty obscenity of Frenchmen Peste Noire – with all the eerie, gnarled guitar solos included.

The base production makes it a difficult record to listen to, yet the frenzied, haphazard assault is unique and charming enough to reward a discerning beholder. There are good songs here and even greater ideas, although they are at times marred by the EP’s inability to shift approach or vary the atmosphere between tracks. That said, Thyrkron are rampant with potential, and if they can capitalise on their intriguing beliefs by articulating them better within the music, then their follow-up release should make for an enchanting experience. But don’t take our word for it; download Descendente Arcanjo Gabriel at any of the locations below. Go forth and feast upon South American obscurity.

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BANDCAMP

Hates music and writing. Unfortunately, he's a journalist.

1 Comment

  • Reply May 21, 2012

    Barabas

    Sounds a little like Peste Noire. Nice riffing and some punk elements. I really like it.

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