The Asian metal scene is still a relatively untapped and certainly unrecognised landscape in the awareness of the majority on the outside, this despite the impressive bands and releases springing from it over the years. Through the fine efforts and passions of bands and labels/PR companies like Transcending Obscurity, a few things deservedly escape the shadows to earn strong attention and draw new ears and appetite to the region’s mighty underground scene. One such offering is the striking new album, Perversion Swallowing Sanity, from Indian death metallers Third Sovereign. It is an explosive thrash fuelled incitement bred from old school seeds of death metal blossomed into something as intensely fresh as it is enjoyably nostalgic, and another example of the potency within India’s metal scene as Third Sovereign back up to the legendary status they carry in their homeland and surrounding areas.
Formed in 2003 by a trio of musicians from Aizawl, the capital of the state of Mizoram, after they moved to Delhi “in order to expand their horizons”, Third Sovereign quickly earned a reputation for their bold and pungent take on death metal. Inspiration to their sound comes from the time bands such as Sepultura, Monstrosity, Cannibal Corpse, and Vader were the prime death metal driven scourges on the senses. 2006 saw the release of debut EP Horrified Visions with their acclaimed first album, Destined To Suffer uncaged the following year, as its predecessor upon Demonstealer Records. The Deprived Serenity EP continued the attention capturing success of the album with its release in 2008, whilst the single Sarcophaga was nominated in the Best Metal Song category at the Rolling Stones Metal Awards a year later. Leaping on to the now and the band is ready to unveil second album Perversion Swallowing Sanity, a release sure to ignite the most potent range of acclaim and spotlights on the band yet.
Aizawl based again, Third Sovereign intrigue the imagination with opening introduction Sakei Ai Hla, voices in threat or calling, hard to know, leading the listener towards and into the brewing tempest of Grave of Humanity and an irritable climate of intimidating riffs and towering intensity. A few moments more and the track is rampaging with thick spicy grooves entwining thumping rhythms and rabid riffs. As vocalist Vedant prowls proceedings with his grizzly guttural tones, thrash bred fuel flows to incite and power the increasingly gripping provocation masterly coloured by guitarist Benjamin and given compelling bulk by bassist Jonah within Reuben’s skeletal rhythmic frame.
Demonic and fiercely enticing, the excellent opener makes way for the incessant violation and nagging persuasion of Sarcophaga; the track a tempestuous onslaught as bestial as it is creatively endearing. Spiralling grooves and sonic imagination light the smothering weight of heavy riffs and brutal rhythms, their union a vicious contagion unafraid to spew toxically bracing tendrils of melodic enterprise.
Both Living This Hate and Slaughtered Mankind descend on the senses with nostril flared and muscles merciless; the first a barbarous consumption of ears littered with psyche gripping hooks and fiery grooves carrying as much venom as the bruising menacing around them. Addiction is as swift as an appetite for the quartet’s intrusive rabidity of sound and ideation, its successor showing this an achievement working across the board of Perversion Swallowing Sanity with its fierce animus of sound and hungry intensity.
From the waspish and predatory trespass of Devolution of Mortality and the more controlled predation guided prowl of Spawned with Guilt, band and album squeeze their grip on ears and thoughts tighter. Through their own individually truculent designs, the pair find a mutual savage beauty and character to threaten and enthral, theirs a murderous seduction emulated in the skilfully sculpted and emotionally untamed Holocaust of Preaching. The track is outstanding with its grooves, as in its predecessors, essential lures backed by the nimble and scorching prowess of the guitar and the merciless uncompromising tempting of rhythms and vocals.
There is no denying that Third Sovereign songs are as anthemic as they are vehemently hellacious; captivating incitements as ready to tear out your soul as incite an uprising. The insidiously hued Dark Black is crawling pervasive proof, working its way under the skin to ignite the passions into a greedy lusting for more before the military seeded rhythmic emergence of Burnt Epitome draws the listener into one final invigorating storm of raw malice and virulent death metal tenacity.
It is an immense end to an outstanding release from a band deserving the fullest attention. Third Sovereign is prime example of the depth within Indian metal alone; one of the leading forces we all need in our metal lives.
Perversion Swallowing Sanity is released January 15th via Transcending Obscurity India @ https://transcendingobscurityindia.bandcamp.com/album/perversion-swallowing-sanity-death-metal or http://tometal.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ThirdSovereign
Pete RingMaster 15/01/2016
Copyright RingMaster: MyFreeCopyright
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wrapping sonic tendrils around the senses whilst expanding a melodic enterprise through reserved but open grooves and instantly persuasive riffing. It is a magnetic entrance which lures thoughts and emotions into the heart of the melodic and groove metal mix brought with predatory energy and breath. A sudden dip into melodic elegance opens the door for a torrent of rapacious provocation, riffs and the heavy growls of Venkatraman spawning rabidity in the track as it goes straight for the jugular. It is an intensive evocation which commands the senses before without warning diving into a progressive and melodic stretch of beauty and mesmeric seduction. This is subsequently entwined within the sinew driven death bred aggression of before to ignite an even greedier hunger for the song. Only half way in and the encounter has taken the breath away with its power and invention, something which never relents up to the final second of the six minute plus tempting. Nothing on the song is repeated beyond the passage seeding any particular moment and along with the excellent vocal fusion of guttural vitriol and clean melodic deliveries impressively helps drive the song straight into the passions. Like a union of Motherjane, Bhayanak Maut, and Opeth but with much more uniqueness, it is a rigorously incendiary and thrilling start to the release.
