Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished

Angry Metal Guy

Everything about Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is like an acid trip. The name is not only a fun one to pronounce, it refers to a fungal infection affecting amphibians with a mortality rate of up to 100%, a key player in the decline of species worldwide.¹ Then you look at the art, courtesy of Brad Moore, and the dial moves another hundred notches into hallucinatory madness. But it’s when you hit ‘play’ on opener “The Beckoning Bell” that the fun really begins. Those of you familiar with Slimelord’s prior EPs have a reference point in gross, grimy death-doom, but Chytridiomycosis Relinquished moves things in a still more weird and wonky direction, playing fast and loose with song structures, melody, and your own lucidity.

Slimelord employ a twisty, sticky kind of death metal, fusing the hallucinogenic swampiness of Worm or Tomb Mold, with the colder more surgical brutality of acts like Replicant or Asystole. Whether it drags itself along like a primordial monster or comes at you with flailing, slimy limbs at breakneck speed, Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is consistently bonkers and brutal. Only closing instrumental “Heroic Demise” is somewhat straightforward, with a tuneful, chilled-out melody of harmonized guitars, until its final section anyway. But did I mention the geese (“The Beckoning Bell”)? The frogs (“Gut-Brain Axis”)? The viscerally clear bubbling of goodness-knows-what (“Splayed Mudscape”)? These field samples are almost distracting, but in the end, they aren’t, instead adding still more flair and flavour to the vibrantly-coloured concoction. In fact, my favorite part of the whole album might be that atmospheric pause in “Gut-Brain Axis” when a chorus of frogs “ribbet” their way across the echo before a tremolo climbs its way upwards.

Chytridiomycosis Relinquished by Slimelord

These little additions aside, the most striking characteristic of the music is its elasticity. Compositions are strikingly dynamic, flowing gymnastically from breathy, stalking death-doom (“The Hissing Moor”) into chaotic cavernous assaults (“The Beckoning Bell,” “Tidal Slaughtermarsh”), to shrill, spine-tingling guitar wailing (“Gut-Brain Axis,” “The Hissing Moor”) in the blink of an eye. Liquid fretless bass meanders up and down very audibly, drawling in your ears around the clanging guitar chords and deep rumbling growls (especially on “Splayed Mudscape,” “Batrachomorpha Resurrections Chamber,” and “Tidal Slaughtermarsh”). This bass omnipresence makes the whole experience feel kind of warm and hazy, which makes for a smooth, even pleasant listening experience on the more melodic end (“Gut-Brain Axis,” “Heroic Demise”), whilst providing an excellent backdrop of stomach-knotting lows for the piercing, sharp-edged highs of dissonant, angular guitar riffing (“The Beckoning Bell,” “Splayed Mudscape”). We obviously can’t talk about the dynamism of this thing without mentioning the rabid work going on behind the kit too, tumbling down in cascades (“The Hissing Moor”), spilling out into backflipping rolls (“Batrachomorpha…”) and slamming in rhythmic solidarity with stabbing riffs (“Splayed Mudscape”).

The loose, slightly unhinged nature of things threatens to overwhelm. This is why, to my ears at least, “Gut-Brain Axis” stands out so powerfully. Opening with a sinister refrain that bubbles up into a squealing, fluttering guitar solo, it manages to pack in all the mad dissonance, the erraticism of shifting tempos, and atmospheric oddities (see my above comment about the frogs) whilst remaining compelling through its continued, subtly mournful theme. “Heroic Demise” goes all-in on the palatable melodicism, but feels too safe and bland beside its companions, while on the other hand, tracks such as “Tidal Slaughtermarsh” feel too tangled and clamorous. In sections, these latter two, and all songs proper on the album, do strike that fragile and brilliant balance between confrontational discordance and wild beauty, but perseverance can be required to wring it out.

Chytridiomycosis Relinquished is, however bizarre it might sound, quite a subtle record. Perplexing at first glance, it gets better on every listen, as more little intricacies reveal themselves. In a world where bands can no longer sell their sound on simply “being brutal” if they want to stand out, I will always have time for those who bend and stretch the boundaries of what we call death metal. Slimelord, as one such band, have my support, and they should have yours too if your death metal cup of tea tends to be one made with mushrooms, rather than your average breakfast blend. Get some Chytridiomycosis in your system and enjoy the ride.

Rating: Very Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps
Label: 20 Buck Spin
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: March 8th, 2024

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