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░ ██ ██ Artist: Genocide Shrines ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Devanation Monumentemples █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2012 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2015-10-16 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Death Metal ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Cyclopean Eye Productions ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD EP ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ In the humble opinion of this writer, Genocide █
█ Shrines is absolutely one of the best South Asian █
█ metal bands around now. Hailing from the █
█ sweltering jungles of Sri Lanka, Genocide Shrines █
█ unleashes a unique black-death metal hell, █
█ desecrating all false idols, stale conventions, █
█ and soulless pretenses in creation. Throughout █
█ their body of work, including the EP Devanation █
█ Monumentemples and their split with Manifestator, █
█ Maha Bharat Terror Attack, Genocide Shrines has █
█ pioneered their own trademark of brutal music and █
█ uniquely violent subject matter, mixing the harsh █
█ reality of death squads and genocide with the dark █
█ aspects of Hindu spirituality. Their latest █
█ release, Manipura Imperial Deathevokovil █
█ (Scriptures of Reversed Puraana Dharmurder), is █
█ the group's first full-length release, and it █
█ proves without a doubt that nothing is sacred in █
█ their single-minded death march towards mass █
█ genocide and universal annihilation. I now humbly █
█ present my own interpretation and take on this █
█ exciting new release. █
█ Like Devanation Monumentemples, Manipura's █
█ swirling chaos is bracketed by impeccably placed █
█ interlude tracks (Pillars). "Pillar 1 (Deimetrical █
█ Satanic Dasayoga)" demonstrates the band's █
█ multiple talents with flutes, and features █
█ chanting and an extended audio sample taken from █
█ the writings of 18th century German philosopher █
█ Arthur Schopenhauer. Known for his deep admiration █
█ for Indian philosophy, Schopenhauer's quote █
█ discusses the nature of transcendental knowledge, █
█ its relation to this world and to the individual █
█ self. For the philosophically astute, this sample █
█ and the malevolent sound effects impeccably █
█ foreshadow what's to come on the album, providing █
█ the philosophical statement of purpose behind the █
█ carnage to come. █
█ The three pieces between Pillars 1 and 2 throw us █
█ face first into brutality. The first song, █
█ "Militant Thrishul (Eradication Puja)," is one of █
█ the strongest tracks on the album, blasting off █
█ with a churning atmosphere, full of chugging █
█ guitars, battering drums, and howls from the █
█ deepest hell, interspersed by slower sections with █
█ hypnotic riffing. The lyrics themselves describe █
█ the start of the narrator's journey through his █
█ mass murder and yogic conquest of the universe. █
█ The album art is fittingly washed out, portraying █
█ a yogi in meditation and bedecked with skulls and █
█ holding a severed head, a true kapalika. Below █
█ that is Genocide Shrines' trademark trishul with █
█ an AK-47, facing upside down.* Amidst the chaotic █
█ music the album art and lyrics provide subtle █
█ clues leading to the eventual conclusion, and they █
█ are important to note. The carnage continues on █
█ "Subterranean Catacomb, Termination Temple █
█ (Henotheistic Primal Demiurge)," another piece █
█ with blackened riffing punctuating the roiling █
█ death metal chaos. Absolutely crushing growls and █
█ riffing take center stage, hammering the listener █
█ into oblivion. In the album art we have a █
█ depiction of the South Asian god Siva, providing █
█ another clue to the endgame of this album. The █
█ lyrics themselves are veiled but powerful mantras █
█ invoking supreme chaos. "Ethnoheretical Padmavyuha █
█ Consecration" starts off with a powerful forward █
█ momentum. In this song the guitar cadence in █
█ reminiscent to the works of The Ruins of Beverast, █
█ albeit still Genocide Shrines' own beast. █
█ The second pillar, "Pillar II (Rape of the █
█ Kamadhenu)," is a great piece, with flutes and █
█ pounding drums amidst chanting and cries. The song █
█ communicates a visceral sense of discomfort, as █
█ the song title itself conveys. In Hindu religion █
█ the Kamadhenu is a goddess fulfilling all desires, █
█ a sacred cow of prosperity. This song in █
█ particular demonstrates Genocide Shrines' gift █
█ with atmosphere, immersing you in the sweltering █
█ jungle warfare, viscerally uncomfortable as the █
█ pummeling drums pound relentlessly while the █
█ goddess is desecrated and all optimism and hope is █
█ ground into dust. The Pillar ends with a single █
█ long tinkle from a bell, centering your █
█ consciousness in preparation for the next assault. █
█ The wholesale immersion is present in the next █
█ piece as well, "Hurl Burning Spears to Exhume the █
█ Raavanic Throne of Sivvhela Retaliation." This █
█ piece begins with an extended sample from an █
█ Indian serial adaptation of the Ramaya?a, the █
█ Hindu Epic detailing the stories of the demon-king █
█ Rava?a and his battles with Rama. It's difficult █
█ to convey the uniquely immersive ambiance provided █
█ by this sample, and its perfect harmonization with █
█ the rest of the music. Genocide Shrines is a █
█ uniquely South Asian band, and excels beyond all █
█ standards of atmosphere. The rest of the song is a █
█ slow, comparatively subdued affair, with more of a █
█ Black Metal vibe, a celebration of the demon-king █
█ Rava?a, the rightful king of La?ka and enemy of █
█ the gods. The lyrics state the endgame more █
█ explicitly: "I Am DEATH, The mighty Destroyer of █
█ the World. I have come to erase all evidence of █
█ the Manushya" (human race). The bloodshed █
█ continues in the next song, "Gas.Mask.Gauthama █
█ (And other Raavanic Resurrections)." Lyrics from █
█ "Ethnoheretical Padmavyuha Consecration" are cited █
█ here, detailing the formation of the Padmavyuha, █
█ the military array, to commence the slaughter of █
█ the enemy, all the followers of the false king of █
█ this world. The last song before the final Pillar █
█ is "Aerialdishamanic Bonethrone Omega," another of █
█ the album's jewels. This piece features some █
█ excellent hypnotic riffing, and the final mantras █
█ further disclose the slaughter of the human race, █
█ as we arrive at the album's ultimate conclusion. █
█ The final Pillar, "Pillar 3 (Triumphing of the █
█ Three Worlds)," takes us to the final conclusion, █
█ the point where the struggle ends. In Hindu █
█ mythology Siva is known for his own conquest of █
█ the three worlds, where he destroyed the citadel █
█ of the unrighteous. Also, at the end of the cosmic █
█ eon it is Siva who destroys the triple-world and █
█ dissolves the universe into the bindu, primordial █
█ cosmic waters. This song drives forward with epic █
█ drumming, a celebration of the final conquest as █
█ this false universe, built on Dharma and lies, is █
█ obliterated by the flaming wrath rising from the █
█ depths. The song ends and the ritual is complete. █
█ In Hindu spirituality the god Siva is an █
█ ambivalent Yogi god, feared for his yogic █
█ attainments and legendary tapas, and dreaded for █
█ his role as universal destroyer. From a Yogic █
█ perspective, cosmic destruction, mass murder, and █
█ yogic reversal are identical processes, microcosm █
█ and macrocosm. In the Kurma Pura?a it is Siva who, █
█ at the end of the cosmic eon, "Enters the self █
█ with the self," massacres all beings, wears their █
█ bones as trophies, and implodes the universe into █
█ the bindu, transforming existence into pure █
█ essence. From this perspective, Genocide Shrines' █
█ mix of extreme violence with South Asian spiritual █
█ themes makes perfect sense, creating a uniquely █
█ powerful theme to accompany the beautifully █
█ horrific music. Genocide Shrines communicates the █
█ flaming wrath of Transcendental knowledge rising █
█ to destroy the foundations of the stale and █
█ oppressive Dharmic system, cutting the chaff and █
█ leaving only pure being. █
█ At the end of the day however, I feel unworthy of █
█ fully describing what Genocide Shrines has █
█ achieved in this sublime work of art. The themes, █
█ atmosphere, and musical talent come together so █
█ perfectly I don't feel I can properly do it █
█ justice. All I can do is recommend this album █
█ wholeheartedly and let it speak for itself. █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. Pillar I (Entrance) 1:25 ░
░ 2. Devanation Monumentemple 4:01 ░
░ 3. Apparitions of Spiritual Obliteration 3:16 ░
░ 4. Pillar II (Submission) 0:46 ░
░ 5. Shivatandaviolence (Cleansiege) 3:19 ░
░ 6. Nectars of Tantric Murder 5:05 ░
░ 7. Pillar III (Discipline) 1:53 ░
░ 19:45 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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