Before us, two mini CDRs by our beloved 999 Cuts label from Israel. The label is run by Michael Zolotov, who is from Kadaver fame, and his wife Tamar Singer, who is active as Zeresh (and had a split out with Autumn Tears on Dark Symphonies in 2022). And yes, I’ll bluntly throw it out here, and I’ll never speak of it again: 999 Cuts is the very best thing coming out of Israel these days. There, I’ve said it. The latest batch of 999 Cuts contains three releases: one long-play CD, which you’ll find in another review and these two 3″ minis. Because these two are also in the same atmosphere, musically, we’ll combine the reviews of those.
First, we have the Prison of Ebisu with its ‘Hexadichordium’. Locked inside this prison are members of Botanist, Dawn of Ouroboros, Cailleach Calling and Tómarúm. These are all bands I had never heard of because my extreme metal knowledge is limited. So Discogs is your buddy: They’re all from the US of A, and their styles range from green metal to progressive blackened anguish. So, I still don’t know what that means. You know what? I’ll let the music do the work. It’s probably easier before trying to make a story of something out of my comfort zone.
So I’ve listened to ‘Hexadichordium’ a few times, and it’s consoling weirdly. The 20-minute track goes all over the place. It opens with fast-paced metal, but it’s so fast that it gets a noise/drone character. Don’t try to follow lyrics, don’t try to analyse rhythms, just be overpowered by the sheer aggression and despair that’s being ventilated there. Besides these extremes are other extremes, such as dark ambient piano parts with a female voice. And there are more metal-styled breaks leaning towards grindcore and several more experimental moments.
“Hexadichordium” is short but so powerful that it seems like a way longer track than it actually is. And having been a metalhead in my younger years, this is actually a style of music I could get used to. Not every day, and not the whole day, but I can see this beauty from a musician’s point of view. Very well done.
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