The hive mind’s insatiable tunneling toward efficiencies cannot possibly outpace the rot produced by the greater machine, no matter how ouroboric the form taken by civilization becomes an entity of uniform obedience will always suffocate beneath the outcome. Given a view from the deeply bent spine of surreal envision London, England-based avant-garde black/progressive metal quintet LYCHGATE arrive beyond the crest of many years with a vision of tormented liberation on this accomplished fourth full-length album. Despite its time emboldened density of razor-precision’d statement ‘Precipice‘ speaks clearly, deliberately through its arc as a ~48 minute ordeal marked by Eldritch tension and beauteous grey-glowing contemplation. Though you’ll no doubt immediately recognize their work by its ‘ready well established traits the long wait between releases appears to have granted this record a thrillingly repeatable density, a compelling realm of its own to explore beyond past accomplishments.

Lychgate were intently focused on a highest standard from their inception in 2012 when formed by guitarist, songwriter and greater maestro Vortigern aka J.C. Young (The One, ex-Archaicus) who was at the time probably best known for his work as drummer for blackened death metal band Spearhead. Young‘s authorship has thus far prompted an impressive course of three full-length albums which’re stylistically chaotic yet virtuously malleable in their at times anti-phrasal ouevre, an abstraction of a uniquely congealed black metal and progressive rock traits which speak to an above-average standard while inviting controlled chaos in depiction of themed interest in systems of control, transhumanism and surreal horror; Oftentimes when I speak of ouevre, sub-genre and such it is for the sake of honing in on a band’s hyper specified, or, frankly very limited exploration of expression but in the case of Lychgate labelling the exact path through an album like ‘Precipice‘ almost appears to truncate or reduce their ambitions but we can consider them “extreme progressive metal” for the sake of it where the most common references made in the past refer to Abigor or Blut Aus Nord at their most ambitious as well as late 90’s/early 2000’s Norwegian progressive black metal.

The progression of Lychgate either has four steps or two depending on the listener. The surreal, glassy-eyed atmospheric black metal dramatism of their self titled debut (‘Lychgate‘, 2013) is an effort which searched longingly for the surreal before finding its knack, or, personae. The cacophonic cosmic horror muse found on ‘An Antidote for the Glass Pill‘ (2015) offered a pair of daimonian hands dragged across an electric organ as a key point of singularity steeped in crookedly stepping disarray where vexing yet richly realized movement between the folks involved (folks we know from Esoteric, Tome of the Unreplenished, etc.) felt more like a diabolic ensemble. It was notable as a piece seemingly written for (non-commercial) cinematic effect as much as a progressive black metal album one’d expect from Londoners. That second album could be considered a sort of general blueprint for future the band’s third and fourth releases, a dynamic between corrosive chaotic density and eerie, searching and wailing cathedralesque hum where spiraling high organ grinding and clean vocals were the core escalation of their debut. This new album doesn’t necessarily strike back to those earlier sounds but rather acts as the latest addition on a continuum developed within the intensity of the band’s first three releases.

When I’d reviewed their third LP (‘The Contagion in Nine Steps‘, 2018) the progression of forms was natural though you could probably read the vexation in mind at the time, not having fully sorted or found any fealty for the depth it’d generated. The surprise of Lychgate‘s work was yet obvious in its escalating feature where conceptually tied themes, intense musical ability and expression collided into one dark atmospheric waltz through noir dementia, eerily wandering guitar work and slowly breezing movements (re: “Atavistic Hypnosis”). Today I am just as overwhelmed by the amount of unpacking that needs to be done not only in gathering past precedence and appreciation for their body of work but also finding a fresh angle into album number four which is potentially their most challenging thread yet somehow their least abrasive. There is a grand yet not so psychotic affectation which ‘Precipice‘ is fed from today which speaks no less to their grip upon madness and mastery yet it overwhelms all the more completely within its once more escalated standard for musicianship.

While I will leave the reader to the wolves in exploration of lyrical themes beyond larger arcing mood and atmospheric tension… I do think it is worth suggesting that one of several factors which inform the wild outlier status of Lychgate today is its embrace of surreal narrative. For the functionally illiterate metal fan (frankly speaking, most folks born after the millennium shift) ‘Precipice‘ will communicate through a more universal medium of the piano-first composition and, no, this isn’t a jazz fusion or neoclassical metal bent (in full) but rather most of Young‘s compositions (third LP was writ on the guitar) begin with a piano as the first point of translation from thought to impulse. This isn’t the complete reckoning of their methodology but an extra nod to the fact that the fellowe’s vision is translated through both high-rate literacy as well as applied musical education. You won’t find the usual esoteric drippings along the spine of a regular-ass heavy metal shaped record here nor will you won’t find brazenly thoughtless experimental disso-slop either.

Submission versus fealty, collapse versus reversion, and perhaps natural extinction versus Nietzschean death drive ping in mind as the sleeper awakes and all ~seven of the folks involved in realizing Young‘s vision of ‘Precipice‘ arrive within its first two pieces, the first being a preamble and “Mausoleum of Steel” being the almost Azagthothian death metal tremor to kick things off. The boiling thrum of their movements are impossibly fleet, the clashing layers of orchestral arrange and antagonistic, sharp-cut lead guitar disarray depict a tall smoking factorial abomination as Lychgate generate a dramatic first engagement via echoic, even disharmony charged bursts of speed where the line between avant-black temperament and umpteenth generation prog metal find a monstrous face capable of sharing their expression. Not every song here is as actively prone to grip the listener by the temples and vex outright but all include this level of sleek yet chaotic parallax layering of elemental forces. Kicking things off with this amount of gear-churning movement is largely for the sake of scene setting and momentum built.

The hail of organs hits a bit harder on the seamless flow into “Renunciation“, a natural feature on the full listen which embraces speedier pacing slick prog-metallic guitar hooks, a dissonant folken turn or two ’til the rush returns again. These first few pieces speak with a narrative voice, less an internalized dialogue built from emotional dread but a dramatic telling which’ll likely read as performative per Lychgate‘s guitarists nutty capabilities firing every cacophony into shape. While I’d felt this was characteristic work with some much needed fire behind its movement the real arrival of ‘Precipice‘ comes between the dynamic fall towards the middle of the experience. “Hive of Parasites” is unquestionably the wyrd fire of the experience where the character of the full listen comes more readily into focus beyond the burning bluster of opener “Mausoleum of Steel” as this ~10 minute piece scales, scrambles, blasts and dive-bombs into the fray it creates almost echoing the surreal freneticism of an album like ‘Chaosphere‘ within some of its early rhythmic churn and chopped-at motioning. The jazz fusion-adjacent scrawl used to transition from high energy to low and back again throughout this piece is one of the more impressive feats on the full listen and somehow works without hijacking the thrashing heaviness of the waves it enforces.

“Hive of Parasites” paired with the brilliant tarantella of symphonic black doom found on my favorite piece, “Death’s Twilight Kingdom”, would persist as my favorite portion and/or representative sample of what Lychgate have to offer beyond the ambitious mashing of seven years ago. Though to be fair the former’s style and temperament does reflect much of what Lychgate‘d suggested within their 2020 EP ‘Also Sprach Futura‘. If you’d not initially felt the contributions of that release firing off yet I’d found it nearby the peaking middle-act of this record. The narrative amble of “Terror Silence”, the doomed enemy-at-the-gates forge of “Anagnorisis” and the funereal revelation of closer “Pangaea” do not offer the most coherent step after step through the finale of ‘Precipice‘ I would generally suggest that several of the most memorable lines, riffs, and general points of greatness are found glistening nearby that end point summoning.

Beyond provenance and adept, skillful creation of singularity which now spans a considerable body of work Lychgate notably offer their own strangely pleasurable challenge to the soon to be wrinkled grey matter exposed to it on this latest if not long-awaited fourth album. The effect of steeping within ‘Precipice‘ is cross-eyed between the vexing wonderment of exploration and the confident strokes of the conductorial hand, a complex torment to be sorted by a mind fraught with curiosity rather than a seeker of too-familiar trope. Polished as it is we’re still in the presence of an “underground” black metal spectre created with strong, unhindered personal vision. While I would argue that these folks are incredibly talented in terms of performance I’d almost want to praise the level of surreal abandon generated here first, though I don’t know how wholly alien it’ll prove to folks already wildly obsessed with avant-garde and progressive extreme metal. Otherwise no doubt existing fandom will appreciate what is new, what is familiar, and what goes bravely venturing to the edge of reason on the voyage through. A high recommendation.

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