Dark Buddha Rising is such a strange experience.
Created in 2007 in Finland, the band is composed of P. Rämänen (bass), J. Rämänen (drums/keyboards, Hexvessel), V. Ajomo (guitar/vocals), J. Saarivuori (keyboards, Hexvessel) and M. Neuman (vocals, Convocation, ex-Candy Cane), all members of Waste of Space Orchestra. Mathreyata, their seventh album, was released in november.
Without looking at any label, boundary or style, Dark Buddha Rising offers us with this album four tracks of what the band does best. Understand a psychedelic distortion, an apocalyptic heaviness, disturbing vocals, slow and hypnotic riffs but above all, an unbeatable musicianship that sails between several styles. So oppressing keyboards on Sunyaga strike first, accompanied by greasy and catchy Sludge riffs. When the mesmerizing vocalist’s voice appears, you will go into a trance, and howlings will make you get out of it. The occult sound of Nagathema slowly penetrates your mind, sometimes adding some airy or disruptive sonorities, then riffs become darker and darker while keeping their sound basis. Uni, the shortest track, is also the most enigmatic one. Whether the introduction is quiet, the rhythmic progressively comes until some kind of explosive climax, then vanishes into oppressive keyboards before Mahathgata III, the last song, begins. Very long, the track picks into Black Metal influences to complement this overwhelming Drone with psychedelic accents. Vocals lead changes, and it’s finally a new crushing rhythmic that comes to life from the ashes of the first one before the final part.
Dark Buddha Rising’s only limit is the human mind. The occult Mathreyata is a powerful, disturbing and bewildering album, but it is also fascinating and allows the band to overcome a new sound dimension while developing their hypnotizing discography again.
90/100