Sepulchre by the Sea - Seven Chambers

Angry Metal Guy

As a high school English teacher in America, it’s actually a crime not to teach Edgar Allan Poe. Dude needs no introduction, his influence felt from basic literature and film, to even the Baltimore’s NFL team mascot, the Ravens – and of course, metal music. As I grumbled my way through middle school and high school English, pursued college work, and hereafter, I became familiar with the gamut, including but not limited to “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Black Cat,” “The Purloined Letter,” “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, and, relevant to Sepulchre by the Sea’s sophomore effort Seven Chambers, “The Masque of the Red Death.” Will Seven Chambers embrace the undeniably Gothic and insane of the author or die alone and desolate in a gutter in Baltimore?

Sepulchre by the Sea, named after the Poe-m of the same name, is a Bristol-based one-man project masterminded by Ashley Shannon, having released a demo, an EP, and a full-length since its inception in 2019. Straddling the line between post-black and atmospheric black metal, Seven Chambers attempts to distinguish its moods, each of the seven tracks represented by a color. Simultaneously raw and punishing, shimmering melodies and synths shower the proceedings, with a patience that conjures the likes of Envy or So Hideous. Ultimately, Sepulchre by the Sea hints at greatness with Seven Chambers but is hindered by bloat and complicated by rawness.

Seven Chambers by Sepulchre by the Sea

Seven Chambers is less a sonic reflection of Poe’s work than it first appears. Rather, Sepulchre by the Sea opts for a far more sanguine post-rock template that reflects yearning rather than horror. This thread courses through its seven movements: three lengthy black metal tracks, three instrumentals, and one acoustic conclusion. “Purple Pestilence,” “Orange Opulence,” and “Violet Visions” are tasteful post-black affairs, the guitar tone raw and grungy, rumbling bass audible, and more melodic pieces able to soar above the biting repetition. Shannon utilizes repetition well, as the background vocals add to the yearning baritone he exhibits in acoustic closer “Scarlet Dreams,” the morphing melody of “Purple Pestilence,” the reverb-laden guitar overlays of “Orange Opulence.” Movements are a crucial component of Seven Chambers, as metallic tracks morph from blackened sections to chuggy death metal to melodic sprawls, growling bass tastefully worming through each, with transitions securing each firmly. Shannon’s vocals rely more on a fiery sermonic bark rather than the traditional shriek for the better, injecting an intensity found in post-black’s more aggressive yeasayers like Au-Dessus or Decline of the I. Sepulchre by the Sea benefits from its more raw and self-released nature with a more cutthroat edge amplified by ambient noise and thick bass that recalls both black metal’s kvlt history and the more traditional crystalline melody you expect from post-black or blackgaze.

Sepulchre by the Sea’s most glaring issue is the instrumentals and their protracted length. While opener “Blue Hubris” sets the dual tone with a tasteful crescendo of piano, blastbeats, and tremolo, “Green Bath” and “White Death” are far too lengthy to add to the tone, and instead feel like four minutes of wandering plucking with insufficient dynamics. While Shannon does a good job with the movements and transitions, the rawer template nonetheless robs the seamlessness with somewhat jarring shifts, especially in “Purple Pestilence” between starker tones, or the melodic midsection to the chuggy conclusion of “Orange Opulence.” The more organ-like ambiance of “Violet Visions” feels like a stark departure into Skepticism territory, clashing. While the raw nature does Seven Chambers justice, the more melodic portions clash with the macabre atmosphere of its source material. This is a nitpick at best, but Poe’s work is often sonically captured in bleaker or more gothic stylings, such as symphonic black or death metal. Post-black is an odd choice for its source material, although Sepulchre by the Sea does well for what it’s worth.

Sepulchre by the Sea’s only glaring weakness is also its greatest strength: its rawness. While it adds a heavier edge rarely seen in this particular traditionally optimistic style, it also makes the series of movements feel rather stitched together haphazardly. The tonal differences through Shannon’s songwriting are unique, the performances are solid across the board, and every instrument is audible and singularly punishing. Hindered by excessive interludes and that rawness being a blessing and a curse, we land squarely in the middle. Seven Chambers is not bland and its creator, if nothing else, is loaded with spectacular promise.

Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: PCM
Label: Self-Released
Website: facebook.com/sepulchrebytheseamusic | sepulchrebythesea.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 2nd, 2024

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