Discordant Meditation - Tragic Creature

Angry Metal Guy

Regardless of quality, a debut release always ensures an interesting listen. Whether paying tribute to the better bands of yesteryear or trying to carve their own way in the world, such offerings from young outfits reek of promise. Hope. Even optimism! American studio project Discordant Meditation have been crafting what they describe as “experimental death metal” for a couple years and and a handful of EP’s. They now arrive with their first full-length Tragic Creature. In this day and age, what does “experimental death metal” even mean? And is this Creature on display cursed to be viewed in a tragic light after all? Let’s meditate on that together.

Sporting a thick and in-your-face mix, Tragic Creature is here to mess your living room up and leave before you can call the police. As Discordant Meditation are a two-piece, the production does an excellent job at pushing both members to the forefront without drowning each other out.¹ Justin Becker, the man behind the bass n’ drums does a masterful job behind the kit, bouncing between blackened blasts and slam-styled snare abuse. His drums are well balanced, allowing the listener to appreciate his mercurial flows between restrained fills and monster assaults, with an extra touch of flair in his china and cymbal heavy rolls. Guitarist/Vocalist Donnovan Parran sports a mean tone, straddling the line between clarity and muck, with a strained guttural shriek that adds humanity to the calculated barbarisms on display. Meshed together, Tragic Creature is a confrontational listen, loud but not exhausting, and fitting for the mood on display.

Tragic Creature by Discordant Meditation

The spirit of a grimier, filthier modern Pestilence is strong in Tragic Creature. Grooves and bounces that would fit right into Obsideo or Hadeon are littered across the release, with ear-snatching assaults rarely far away. The opening swing of “Exist Alone” comes out the gate with as ugly of an earworm as you’re likely to hear, and is an instant Riff o’ the Year contender. Songs like kickoff track “Conduit” and “Formless as Water” channel the great Dutch ones penchant for alien leads that seem to touch both ends of the fretboard with energetic neck-snapping momentum waiting to throw off any sense of routine or complacency. This gives memorability to the otherwise dense mix and ruthless assault and speed of the riffs, with a few slower, slime-drenched measures creeping in for tonal diversity. Discordant Meditation are at their strongest in such catchy moments, with the ugly, unwelcoming tone of their chord progressions offset by rhythmic displays of hooks and identity.

Discordant Meditation use their hook-game to offset the otherwise bleak and oppressive mood of Tragic Creature. Occasionally lurching into Incantationisms in gloomier passages (“Passages of Obscured Lucidity”), there is not a melodic or uplifting lick to be found across the release. Given the bands statement that the album is designed to channel “Feelings of mental torment, dismal surrealism, and spiritual defeat”, this is unsurprising. A pervasive, relentless atmosphere of claustrophobia is scattered throughout the release, maintained even if individual songs don’t all match each other in impact. “Clawing at the Open Wound” is the most disposable, sounding like an assembly of riffs that would sound merely transitional in the better songs proceeding it. Likewise, title track “Tragic Creature” swings hard for an epic finale with a slower, more calculated chugging section that teases a monster payoff which regretfully never arrives. This let down right at the end seems more akin to a brisk stroll to the finish instead of the grand display teased throughout the first half. Still, at a lean 32 minutes, Tragic Creature is mercifully free from outright bloat, which helps the music impact when consumed as a whole.

Tragic Creature is a fetchingly dark debut from a young band who already have a keen sense of vision and a defined sound. As dissonance and ugly song stylings continue to stay in vogue, Discordant Meditation have succeeded in carving a small niche for themselves in an already crowded sonic scene. Skilled players and already capable song-smiths, I believe that there is better in store for us from this young duo, and I’ll be interested in their future releases. Come for the hooks, stay for the depression, and lend your ears to this not-so Tragic Creature.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: N/A Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Independent Release
Websites: discordantmeditation.bandcamp.com/album/tragic-creature | Official Facebook Page
Releases Worldwide: January 24th, 2025

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