22nd November 2024

Review: “Tsukuyomi: The Origin” by Distant

What is an anniversary without a celebration? There can be no denying that Dutch Downtempo Deathcore enthusiasts Distant are on the crest of a wave at the moment and so in acknowledgement of their hard work they raise a poison chalice at the end of a decade of destruction with “Tsukuyomi: The Origin”. An expanded and revitalized reimagining of their debut EP “Tsukuyomi“, it comprises 7 brand new tracks alongside 6 revamped versions of the original songs and 4 heavy hitting guest vocal appearances. A tale that predates Tyrannt’s conquest through the universe, the record not only delves into the bands origins but also explores the lore behind their lyrics. As a character, Tsukuyomi is a pivotal figure in the “The Heritage” and “The Rise Of Tyrannotophia” sagas and takes centre stage in this prequel, the band adding depth with this origin story which they themselves suggest is like some kind of retroactive director’s cut. As if that wasn’t enough, it was mixed and mastered by Simone Pietroforte (Worm Shepherd, Reflections, Gassed Up) and there is a production credit for Within Destruction guitarist Howard Fang.

Icy synths build through programming into crushing riffs before a single devastating verse decimates the weak with first track “The Pale Moonlight“. A tone setting piece, its an introduction which means that “Fleshweaver” comes in swinging with Alan Grnja’s venomous vocals in the first second. Front loaded with brutal groove laden riffs, this one is the upper cut to follow the jab with a glorious sweeping solo, blast beats and breakdowns galore. As with all of the works of Distant, it is there ability to play with tempo in slick transition which sets them apart from the pack and here they nail it to perfection. Playing with eerie melodies that behind the endless brutal onslaught gives “Feast of Misery” an uneasy quality, that chill of a low budget horror movie right there in the background. That doesn’t stop the aggressive tendencies of the quartet for even a fraction of a second, the punishment beating of this tune designed to leave audiences breathless after their mosh pit activities. The first of the guests appears on “Torturous Symphony” with Matt Heafy of Trivium lending his harsh unclean vocals to a track with so much bounce it could start an earthquake. Dark, malevolent and crammed with technically proficient guitar work, it’s the kind of skull crushing that demonstrates just how far the band have come over the past decade and Nouri Yetgin’s mesmerising work is a huge part of that here.

Pushing their boundaries further into Extreme Metal without letting go of any of their trademark sounds means the bludgeoning that is “Cradled in Shards of Glass” is embellished with glorious nuance that elevate it in style. The solo is as glorious as the haunting leads, the staccato riff breaks and pulverising percussive battery driving the nails into the coffin lid with the force of a woman scorned. Restless and relentless the record continues with “Loveless Suffering” and if you were expecting power ballad then guess again. Grnja’s blood gargling Slam vocal passage in the first third is as vicious as they come, the only slow down coming with a bass solo from Elmer Maurits to create atmosphere before the next savage assault on the senses. Leaning on beatdown roots, this one is for the spin kickers and will leave you wondering just how a band this heavy is touring the Globe with alarming regularity and has a deal with Century Media. It’s like the thing that should not be and yet it offers hope to all the heavier bands out there, as a demonstration of just how far you can go if you put the graft in. “The Undying” is the last of the new cuts, the quartet making a rare endeavour into five minute territory. Stylistically the synths bring Motionless In White to mind but obviously this is so much heavier, a face melting solo leading into a stompy breakdown section that then slows into glorious downtempo bone shattering sounds bringing it home.

The rebuilt from the ground up original record begins with “The Apex“, a 90 second cut that offers 30 seconds of respite in haunting melody before getting heavy. A spoken word before a blood curdling vocal moment is a nice touch before “Alcolytes of Damnation” begins, Rene Gerbrandij’s jackhammer footwork a lethal dose of Deathcore hatred. Alex Erian of Canadian Deathcore pioneers Despised Icon gets in on the action as things get furious and ferocious, the intensity given more edge with a couple of ethereal moments in the background. That scalding intensity gets hotter with Travis Worland of Enterprise Earth joining for the title track “Tsukuyomi“, a cut which finds both vocalists going toe to toe like a pair of black bears in a fight to the death. As it goes, despite its power and strength, this is actually one of the rare occasions when the title track is not the one of the finest moments on the record. There is nothing wrong with it as such, its just not as diverse as what came before it. David Simonich of Signs Of The Swarm rolls up his sleeves for “Malice“, the cocking of the gun a moment that you might miss on the first spin. Dirge laden this one drags you through the mud kicking and screaming at points before giving you a good slap and telling you to shut the f*** up. Once more with feeling? 96 seconds of sheer brutality unfold leaving scorch marks in their wake as “Broken Cross” enters the cerebral cortex via the ear canal and triggers a brain haemorrhage. If only all reimagining’s were as epically brilliant as this one… [8.5/10]

Track Listing

1. The Pale Moonlight
2. Fleshweaver
3. Feast of Misery
4. Torturous Symphony (ft. Matt Heafy of Trivium)
5. Cradled in Shards of Glass
6. Loveless Suffering
7. The Undying
8. The Apex
9. Alcolytes of Damnation (ft. Alex Erian of Despised Icon)
10. Tsukuyomi (ft. Travis Worland of Enterprise Earth)
11. Malice (ft. David Simonich of Signs Of The Swarm)
12. Broken Cross