Heavy Metal Tribune

Funeral in Heaven/Plecto Aliquem Capite [Sri Lanka]
Astral Mantras of Dyslexia
2011
Split
Dunkelheit Produktionen
Black Metal

South-east Asian fans of extreme metal would perhaps be familiar with Vedic metal, the style of extreme metal started by Singaporean band Rudra, fusing elements of the Vedic religion and Hindu music into death metal, coming up with what can be classified as Asia's very own counterpart to Western folk metal. Funeral in Heaven and Plecto Aliquem Capite both hail from Sri Lanka, and being the first few bands that I chance upon from Sri Lanka, and their close geographical proximity to India, I was extremely curious as to what these bands will be able to produce on this split album, Astral Mantras of Dyslexia (an album with a title and an artwork that could have easily been what Rudra would put out).

Funeral in Heaven opens the album, with the 11 and a half minute epic Transmigrations into Eternal Submission (of Altered Consciousness), a completely instrumental track that features nothing but traditional, ethnic Hindu musical instruments complete with the keyboards shrouding the music in a heavy atmosphere, and it is from this track where the references to Rudra comes in. Expecting the band to begin their actual onslaught at any moment, the band certainly surprised me, with the entire track comprising only these instruments without a hint of metal (apart from the occasional strumming of the electric guitar in the background) whatsoever, and instead of boring the listener this actually gives listeners a pretty good introduction to the ethnic music of South Asia, providing a somewhat soothing experience at the same time.

After the introductory track that sets the right mood for album, everything comes crashing down as the band begins their onslaught with Bandhana (Gatahaththey Kathaa Wasthuwa), with their brand of black metal. The riffs that are unleashed by guitarists Joseph and Ayesh sound Norwegian black metal-inspired, only put to an excruciatingly slow pace, letting the listener soak in the depressive atmosphere of the track. Chathuranga then complements the music by letting out inhuman shrieks and noises, sounding like a man tortured into insanity. The spoken vocals also adds a nice touch to the overall feel of the music. The band also includes on the split a tribute to Sri Lankan occult rock band, Thapas with their cover of Buddhang Saranang, and here, instead of the usual acoustic drums that accompanies the music, ethnic percussion instruments are utilised, and this gives the track a unique touch in itself. The guitar solos on the track are melodic and have an old-school rock and blues feel, yet Funeral in Heaven, with their rendition, manage to retain that air of occultism of the track.

Plecto Aliquem Capite picks up where Funeral in Heaven left off, and similarly, starting off their side with an ethnic-instrumental track, Lament, but with a more folk metal feel this time. However, unlike Funeral in Heaven's musical style, Plecto Aliequem Capite's style is markedly different, as evident from the next track, Stoned Guru Ramblings. The track opens with samples of what sounds like radio samples, before the insane shrieks of vocalist Buddhika comes in, complete with the chaos on the instrumental section of the band, and at times it almost sounds as if this could be Sri Lanka's answer to war metal with the destruction present in the music. Buddhika, in the band, is credited for both vocals and noises, and it's easy to see why with the amount of the chaos that he provides with the high distortion on the vocals, making Plecto Aliequem Capite's side an extremely difficult listen for those not accustomed to such barbaric and primitive sounding extreme metal. Cemetery of the Deep sees the band incorporating ethnic instruments once more into their black metal, leaving a haunting feeling in the listener and further bringing about the hopeless feeling of doom.

The split finally closes with the collaboration between both bands in the form of Crestfallen: Immolating Shakthi, giving listeners the best of both bands in a single track as each band infuses the track with their individual unique touches, and how much further can a man's sanity be pushed with the combination of Buddhika's and Chathuranga's vocals? If one has ever wondered what Rudra could have sounded like had they gone down the black metal route instead of the death metal route, this split release could very well be an extreme example.

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Plecto Aliquem Capite on the internet:
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©2012 Heavy Metal Tribune | Hong Rui