Shattering Light’s Creation
When black metal ruled the earth
dB rating: 8/10
Release Date: June 23, 2017
Label: Tofu Carnage
A screenwriter once told me his rule about movie titles: He has to picture someone confidently ordering the ticket at the box office. The same rule should apply to someone when they’re naming a band. Although this review is for a damn good debut from Dallas-based black metal paleontologists Tyrannosorceress, their Syfy creature feature moniker does thieve attention away from the music. Thankfully, Shattering Light’s Creation steals that attention right back.
While numerous black metal outfits have embodied chaos—either literally or lyrically—Shattering Light’s Creation illustrates the word’s numerous definitions:
1) Lawlessness, as Tyrannosorceress use the general essence of black metal’s second wave instead of stiffly adhering to genre conventions.
2) Chaos magick, where the band’s varied atmospheres mimic the multiplicity of self.
3) The Greek root word that means void, as the cavernous production beckons the band from their rehearsal space and stacks their amps in the abyss.
After “Haunting Black Infinity” creeps from a swirl of discord, Tyrannosorceress rip with a blend of raw force and stark melody. Picture Necrophobic if they recorded by bonfire light in some subterranean Texan lair. Like Lucas Ruggieri’s cover artwork, the record rewards closer inspection with carefully arranged details and intricacies. The lunar allure of clean guitars shapes “In the Light of the Sabbat Moon.” Later, the haunted denouement of “The Call of Chaos” gives way to the title track’s relentless charge. It’s easy for black metal to become a 45-minute smudge of distorted ennui shackled by blast beats. But in the Shattering Light’s Creation universe, the vibrant riffs from guitarists William Baxter and Daniel Hearne reign over the chaos.
— Sean Frasier
This review taken from the August 2017 issue. Shattering Light’s Creation is available on vinyl from Tofu Carnage.
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