Panzerfaust – The Suns of Perdition Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion
Release Date: 22nd November 2024
Label: Eisenwald
Bandcamp
Genre: Progressive Black Metal, Sludge Metal, Atmospheric Black Metal.
FFO: Deathspell Omega, 1914, Ulcerate, Uada, Akhlys, Kanonenfieber.
Review By: Rick Farley
Canada’s premier black metal force Panzerfaust unleashes their fourth and closing chapter of their colossal tetralogy “The Suns of Perdition” marking the end of a harrowing journey through the darkest depths of the human soul, a journey where light is but a distant memory and hope has long since withered.
The Suns of Perdition Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion is a terrifying exploration of a world slowly falling apart. The hypnotic examination of the end of days. Chapters one through three approaches extremes of the human experience, such as historical, philosophical, and spiritual, while chapter four is the unavoidable descent into pure chaos. War, destruction, false gods, and the inevitable collapse of civilization.
Torn between ugliness and beguiling calm, The Suns of Perdition Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion is an intense, immersive sensory overload of unsettling black metal transcending into pure art. The full gambit of emotions is felt throughout. It expands on the passion and purpose set by the previous chapters. These are words that I felt needed fully repeated. Taken directly from my own review of Chapter III: The Astral Drain, this wholeheartedly rings true yet again. Chapter four, while being musically more straight forward than the previous record, is still a deep dive into an unknown, eerie abyss of densely structured brutality. Huge swaths of droning guitars sear intensely, while sludge filled grooves, and the overpowering roars of vocalist Goliath harden the cavernous walls of a towering, burning mountainside. The scratchy deep growls and cold guitar riffs of Brock Van Dijk warp and contort through the enveloping atmosphere of dense fog, black smoke, and flames. Texturally, this record is layers upon layers of strategically placed unorthodox melodies under crushing heaviness that’s not immediately distinguishable. This one truly seeps in slowly revealing its devouring, hideous self, even more, each time you listen. The rhythm section of Thomas Gervais (bass) and Alexander Kartashov (drums) is nothing short of ruthless punishment. Thick, snaking bass lines precisely slither their way underneath blast beats, and insane fills. The underlying foundation is mammoth, giving this record an organic feel through its expressive percussion and weight.
Tracks like When Even The Ground is Hostile is a chaos filled ride through infernal walls of sound, unrelenting bashing and melodic oddities that are as unsettling as they are memorable. The sound of a distorted swarm of locusts attacking with deadly intentions, whirring from ear to ear over a ferocious riff and ungodly growls, is terrifying. It seems, to me, remarkably close to what the end of the world might sound like. While The Damascene Conversions takes a more atmospheric approach to its bleakness. Slow and gloomy, droning guitars over a groovy beat pushes you deep into a sedated universe where your restless soul leaves your catatonic body. There are ethereal melodies which evoke middle eastern vibes to my ears that add an incredible amount of storytelling aura to the track. Closing track To Shadow Zion (No sanctuary) is a mix of all Panzerfaust’s equally tense musical approaches. Pure nightmarish riffing, oddly meditative melodies and atmospherically droning with horrendous bellows that bring a raw finality to the whole saga. Without a doubt, a world ending song to a masterful tetralogy.
The Suns of Perdition Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion was mixed and mastered by Greg Dawson at BWC Studios. The amount of claustrophobic density packed in the songs, while still having this much clarity, gives the record a nervousness and tension that you don’t find on many records. This is a challenging listen in the best way, which will unnerve you from beginning to end, songwriting wise and sonically. Panzerfaust simply put, is in a league of their own. A must-listen.
(5 / 5)
