Band info
Band: Tower Of Silence
Album: ‘Semelean Revelations‘
Released: September 21st, 2024
Genre: technical, progressive black metal
Location: France
Review
Even before one starts playing today’s album, ‘Semelean Revelations‘ by French ensemble Tower Of Silence, it already transfixes the viewer from its awe-inspiring cover, made by artist Julie Rebella.
The cover does a good job by giving an idea of how the music underneath goes, too; the “black hole eating up a lot of Cthulhoid buildings that look like they were painted by Escher” feel of, it’s a combination of stark black, searing orange/yellow and bloody dark red belays the mix of chaotic prog black with many of elements of dissonant-death here, one that forces the listener to (wink wink) stare into death and be still. But as much as we hear reminiscences of Ulcerate in it, as well as more directly black metal bands such as Vukari and Gaerea, ‘Semelean Revelations‘ throws a wrench into your expectations every now, such as with the last movement of track 3, “Oracular Nauseas“, which brings what sounds like a Hammond and a very straightforward drum rhythm to accompany a guitar solo that could have been played by Deep Purple or Uriah Heep in some 70s album that got lost.
This ability to confuse listeners, not only through more “disso” and syncopation but also with elements not often used in any extreme metal, is part of what makes this album so great, and Tower of Silence such a band to keep a lookout for.
Other links and platforms:
BC: https://towerofsilence.bandcamp.com
IG: https://www.instagram.com/tower_of_silence/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/towerofsilence777