Xasthur 

Defective Epitaph

Hydra Head 2007

Xasthur has always been one of those bands that has been over hyped for me.  I mean I think their music is good but nothing more.  But that may be changing as I find Defective Epitaph even more moody and gloom laden than any of Malefic's past work.   Defective Decay is a powerful and moving album, drawing from a strong Burzum foundation and then smothering it with dismal fuzz and bleak melodies until the listener becomes claustrophobic with despair.  Each song is but a different billowing bank of fog drowning out all outside perception and causing one to lose all hope within its haze.  The tempo barely rises above a crawl as the atmosphere is one more akin to that of a relentless drizzle showering through the mist where ghostly mirages serve only to confuse and haunt.  One of the only exceptions is Legacy of Human Irrelevance which picks up the speed somewhat as the drums hammer away and the guitars shimmering behind muffled keyboards but of course that only lasts for so long before the overwhelming gloom wraps the listener once more within its cocoon.  But I feel that the music is more convincing at its funeral dirge-like pace such as on the Only Blood That Pours is Yours.  The effect of this album though is not of individuality of song but in unity of mood throughout.  Malefic's vocals  bring to mind Varg Vikerenes at his most tormented.  Enough can't be said regarding the guitar sound that Xasthur uses on this album.  So fuzzed out and muffled sounding it is the living embodiment of impenetrable fog.  Malefic has finally composed an album that brings the crescendo of hype to a worthy focus.  Defective Epitaph is an album that robs the listener of all hope and buries them within the grey mists of despondency.  Long live the joyless in eternal misery!