The Sound of Chaos - A Review of Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû's Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû

Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû might be one of the worst band names in the history of music, the end of its preceding outfit Absu was quite controversial to say the least and the previous studio album in this trilogy was released a whopping ten years ago, making the new self-titled output something of an extreme metal version of Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy. But just as the latter turned out to be a decent album without  being able to compete with the classics from the early years, Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû is a very good release that should please genre fans as it provides an aggressive dose of blackened thrash metal about mythological topics.

A first look at the product proves that the band has only changed its name but certainly not its style. This starts with the beautifully detailed, epic and gloomy cover artwork, continues with the challengingly overloaded track titles and concludes with the twelve new songs on display. The production is firmly rooted in the underground as it's loud and organic but not too underproduced or unstable as the eerie atmospheric layers and remarkable individual musicianship manage to stand out here and there. The guitar riffs are cold and fierce, bringing images of desolation and misery to mind. The rhythm section with drums and bass is ferocious but at times lacking outstanding moments. Acoustic guitars, flutes, keyboards and mellotron are employed to provide some occasional brief atmospheric transitions but make no mistake; since this isn't a folk or a symphonic metal album but simply a creative blackened thrash metal band staying true to its unique identity. The timeless vocals deserve much praise as well as they sound as if they had just been recorded moments after the preceding output ten years ago. Gritty snarls meet high-pitched screams and offer much atmospheric entertainment. The chemistry among the different new and old band members is excellent and might indicate a bright future if they are able to keep things going without derailing the train like they did on multiple occasions throughout the past decade.

A few songs manage to stand out right away such as the uncompromising, sudden and intense opener ''Amenta: Accelerando: Azyn Including Hierophantasmal Expounder'' that takes no prisoners and sounds like the musical equivalent to a blistering snow storm on a pitch black winter night. ''Caliginous Whorl'' is perhaps the most accessible track, bringing the band's charismatic blackened thrash metal to the point in three and a half concise minutes without any distractions. The closing ''Every Watchtower Within Is the Axis of a Watchtower Without Including Totemic Thresholds'' is the exact opposite, meandering from pitiless extreme metal sections to laid-back acoustic breaks and back again without properly developing the transitions and leaving listeners back scratching their heads.

These three examples show the at time meandering songwriting qualities on this output. Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû certainly needs a lot more time to grow that its two excellent predecessors. While this new output convinces with gritty intensity and the band's charismatic trademarks, the different songs often fail to stand out right away and end up sounding chaotic and repetitive. This might have been the attempted effect contemplated by the band but the two predecessors were more accessible, focused and memorable in my book.

At the end of the day, fans of the band and its preceding outfit should nonetheless listen to and purchase this output that will certainly find its way onto many lists for best record of the year. In my opinion, Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû is very good but not as brilliant as Abzu and Absu that are essential additions to collections of any extreme metal fan.

Final Rating: 75%