Mitochondrion - Parasignosis

Mitochondrion - Parasignosis
Year of Release - 2011
Label - Profound Lore
myspace

Canada's Mitochondrion first came to my attention a couple of years ago with their debut Archaeaeon which was an impressive slab of dirty black death metal with the band managing to mix a dark evil atmosphere with some heavy as fuck guitar playing.

Onwards to 2011 and the band has released their second full length in Parasignosis and business has never been this filthy. The album opens with the lengthy three part Pestilentiam Intus Vocamus, Voluntatem Absolvimus. Part I which starts on an atmospheric note before moving on to bludgeon the listener with an attack that was slightly similar to Averse Sefira but with more death metal in the tone as the rhythm section pounds out a heavy as fuck beat while the guitars play in the background before bursting forth on Part II and truly unleashing hell with the chaos and raw fury of Part III, the 10+ minutes of Tetravirulence where the band creates a song that is dense and claustrophobic with enough tricks and turns and sheer ass kicking riffs to completely capture the attention of the listener while being ridiculously heavy. This is atmospheric death metal like few bands can play. Trials sounds like Portal channeled through classic Morbid Angel while the title song reminds me of a sicker, filthier Averse Sefira. Banishment is another lengthy song that is face ripping in its heaviness and once again displays the bands penchant for writing songs that are an exercise in controlled chaos. The album also comes with a couple of short ambient interludes and another lengthy outro that would somehow seem redundant in most other albums but here, its a much needed slowing down and tapering out of the music. Almost like the war is over at the end of the incredible Kathenotheism but the band was thoughtful enough to let the survivors pick themselves up over the next 10 minutes of cold dark atmosphere. Superb.

While the guitars are front and centre on this album often creating riffs that are suffocating in their intensity, it's the drumming that holds the songs together. Karl Goddard almost plays a rock solid straight martial beat and allows the guitarists to create dark and intricate songs that are always dancing on the edge of chaos. What the band is really good at is creating atmosphere without ever reducing the levels of intensity. The music is always abrasive and in your face often creating an impenetrable wall of sound that is quite disturbing by itself but also creating an atmosphere that is suffocating in its claustrophobic intensity.

Parasignosis is an album that is frightening in its level of intesity. Claustrophobia is a word I've used repeatedly here and its with good reason. In terms of comparison, Mitochondrion is like Portal and Averse Sefira in a boxing ring. This is scary extreme metal, on par with anything Portal has done. Not for the faint of heart but essential for fans of extreme metal.