Jupiterian ‘Archaic’ DD 2014

Jupiterian 'Archaic'The band Jupiterian started out as a side project of V, who used to play in death metal band The Black Coffins. The band started rehearsing and after some struggles forming a line-up, the band rleased their first EP titled Archaic.

The band shares a sound with the likes of Windhand, Isis and Bongripper. For polishing up the recordings the band made use of nothing but the best they could find. Recording the album at the Improviso Studios, the tracks were finished up by Mories (Gnaw Their Tongues, Aderlading, Seirom) and James Plotkin (Khanate). The cover was made by Santiago Caruso, who worked with Pentagram (Chile) before on the cover of their album The Malefice.

Opening track is the seven minutes lasting Archaic, title track of the EP. It’s a slow, but steady sounding track, marching onwards on a gruelling pace like a lumbering golem. The steady pace, combined with the jagged play turns the slow into a pressing and nervous sound. Deep guttural vocals mutter words over the music, that suddenly swells up to a juggernaut of a riffing tidal wave. Crushing everything in their path, only to end with some heavy hitting breaks.

The subtle introduction to Procession Towards The Monolith actually feels like a procession walk, even the dragging rhythm that starts, heavy and sludgy. There’s a sadness behind this sound, mournful tones and a melody in minor tell that story. The riffs become like thick slabs of stone, heavy and steady. Landing for a moment, the song continues with rolling deep riffs. I mean deep as in face-to-concrete heavy, dragging the song to its ending in a slow dreary pace.

The third track on the EP, Currents Of Io, is also the longest one. Clocking over ten minutes, the introduction is gentle, featuring a sample where space and the planet Jupiter is being discussed, the namesake of the band. Weeping guitars are launched then, soaring high above. The heavy sounds start rolling, but it is not that regular pounding sound on this record. It’s heavy and spacy in its own distinct way, not planets and stars, but the total vacuum and utter darkness of the universe. The low tones seem to float in that space, not hitting the bottom yet, even when going so deep. One can’t make much speed there and that is clear when the slow, sludgy doom slowly heads for its endpoint.

One can expect more from these guys in the future. Interesting, specially for those who loves unstoppable doom with a grinding sound and atmosphere to it.

Label: Self Released
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp

Scribed by: Guido Segers