ARTIST: Telos
TITLE: DELUDE
LABEL: 1040881 Records DK2
GENRE: Hardcore
SOURCE: WEB
BITRATE: 320 kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 32:00
RELEASE DATE: 2023-03-18
RIP DATE: 2023-03-21
ENCODER: LAME
URL:https://deezer.com/album/406468237
Track List
----------
1. Within Reach 3:27
2. Bastion 2:34
3. Never Me 3:36
4. I Accept / I Receive 7:13
5. I've Been Gone For So Long 4:03
6. Lapse 2:37
7. As Atlas Stumbled 3:14
8. Throne 5:16
Release Notes:
I should probably clarify that Telos clearly arenÆt trying to be a Black Metal
band. TheyÆre most definitely a Hardcore band at heart (wearing their hefty
Converge influence loudly and proudly).
But thereÆs an undeniable sense of metallic malevolence and blistering intensity
to their music û something which becomes immediately apparent when the
bone-rattling blastbeats and skin-shredding guitars of ôWithin Reachö burst out
of the speakers û that firmly aligns them with their equally ôblackenedö
breathren in This Gift Is A Curse and Hexis (with the band themselves openly
admitting that the latter are a key inspiration).
ThereÆs also a darkly sludgy side to the groupÆs sound û one which rears its
head most prominently during the short, savage ôBastionö as well as the albumÆs
massive seven-minute centrepiece, ôI Accept / I Receiveö û which recalls the
dynamic extremity of the likes of Celeste and Rorcal in its ability to go from
zero to one hundred, and back again, at the drop of a hat.
So far, then, so good. If youÆre a fan of any of the above-mentioned bands
youÆre likely to find a lot to love here.
But what helps Telos stand out from their peers û even as theyÆre working to
earn the right to stand alongside them û is the injections of an almost (but not
quite) Mathcore-esque angularity and unpredictability, one which allows them to
careen off in new, whiplash-inducing directions without warning when the mood
takes them.
Of course, unlike most bands of this particular ilk (who have, in my opinion at
least, an unfortunate tendency to act like just throwing in random twists
equates to clever songwriting) the Danes seem to be able to resist the urge to
just throw shit against the wall and call it ôartö and instead only deploy this
particular tactic when and where it actually serves to enhance the song itself.
In this manner there are several occasions û such as the way in which the jerky,
jagged-edged rhythms of ôNever Meö eventually dissolve into the trackÆs
incredibly dark and atmospheric mid-section, or how the noir-ish, slow-burn
intro of ôAs Atlas Stumbledö suddenly explodes into apoplectic,
barely-controlled chaos û where Telosæs approach reminds me of the mutated
mathemetallic assault of Fawn Limbs, right down to their willingness to employ
ambience and emptiness to mislead the audience before the killing blow.
TheyÆre also not afraid, when the moment is right, to inject a touch of melody
into their sound either, whether thatÆs in the form of the oddly proggy riffage
that leaps out at you during the aforementioned ôNever Meö or the sudden, and
scintillatingly melodic, Post-Metal-shaped curve-ball they throw at you during
the finale of cathartic closer ôThroneö, and manage to do so without
compromising or cheapening themselves in the process.
If all that sounds like a lot to pack into just thirty-two thrilling minutesà
donÆt worry. Telos have a gift for finding, and exploiting, the commonalities
between all these different elements and influences and making them fit together
in ways which, ultimately, make perfect sense once the final shape reveals
itself.
And, as a result Delude never feels rushed, or over-stuffed, but remains capable
of surprising you û while still connecting on a vital, visceral level û with
each and every spin.