Strychnos is the name used to refer to a particular type of trees and plants mainly found in tropical areas. Some of these species are used as the basis for producing strychnine, commonly known as rat poison. It is a rather toxic substance that attacks your nervous system. Strychnos is also the name of a Danish death metal band that has just released their second full-length album.
The band has been around for quite some time, originating in 1998. It wasn’t until 2011 that FDA Rekords released the EP Undead Unsouls Unbound. Then it went quiet around the band for about 10 years until Dark Descent Records picked them up. This resulted in the release of their debut A Mother’s Curse. And now, two years later, comes the follow-up album titled Armageddon Patronage. The band’s music is heavy and aligns with their label mates who also play a mix of death and black metal. Dark Descent Records, under the guidance of Matt Calvert, has a very good nose for quality metal, so I’m eager to dive into this review.
Armageddon Patronage contains eight tracks and clocks in at around 40 minutes. The men of Strychnos kick off the album with the track Winds Warning the Final Storm with an oriental-sounding atmosphere, which you will hear again later. It is predominantly heavy and filled with doom elements, with occasional bursts of tempo. It sounds bombastic. The title track that follows has nothing to do with doom. It’s a wonderfully uplifting and predominantly fast track with a great riff underneath. The pumping midsection leaves nothing to be desired in terms of driving force. Listen for yourself.
After the previous experience, it’s actually good that we can start quietly with Endless Void Dimension with a somewhat spacey and idyllic intro followed by heavy and swampy doom metal. The gas pedal never really goes down, even though we keep hearing a very contradictory double bass drum kick. So, we stay in the doom-like regions for the entire track, with occasional pompous atmospheres. We also get to meet some clean vocals, the only ones on the whole album.
Pale Black Birds begins with an intro where iron-like guitar tones are flanked by various bird sounds. Quite logical given the title. It all reminds me a bit of Sulphur Aeon. The beginning and actually the rest of the track as well. Many tempo changes and loads of atmosphere are poured over you. Here, too, the words pompous and bombastic come to mind. The feeling of being overwhelmed is clearly present.
Timpani and horn players herald Stanken af Dyd. Here we find another catchy riff played at speed. I get very excited about that. They really know how to do this well. You also hear a sort of brotherly worship ritual of high priests invoking an ancient Egyptian god. No idea, of course, but that’s how it might sound in my fantasy world.
Here we are at the last two tracks, with the final track being a real spectacle. What an incredible track with a furious ending where all the power play comes to the forefront.
Strychnos states that the band is looking for creative expansion and dares to step outside the usual paths to write genre-transcending material. It seems to me that they have succeeded with Armageddon Patronage. Sometimes the drive for development can overshoot and become a goal in itself, and the result can turn out less favorably than hoped. In my opinion, Strychnos has delivered a very strong album and can reap the rewards of this creative development. It’s bizarre what a wall of sound just three men can produce. If you are a Dark Descent Records enthusiast or enjoy bands like the aforementioned Sulphur Aeon, I highly recommend listening to this album. I think I’ll put it on again.
Score:
91/100
Label:
Dark Descent Records, 2024
Tracklisting:
- Winds Warning the Final Storm
- Armageddon Patronage
- Choking Salvation
- Endless Void Dimension
- Pale Black Birds
- Stanken af dyd
- Sweeping Storm of Suicide
- Nattevandreriden
Line-up:
- Martin Leth Andersen – Basgitaar, Zang
- Nis Rode Larsen – Drums
- Andreas Lynge – Gitaar, Zang (Achtergrond)
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