Transience

Permutation

The musicianship is excellent, and there is just enough diversity to keep the listener engaged, but to the ardent Black Metal fan, this will fulfill your beastly desires.
November 19, 2023

From Bandcamp, “changing the order of an ordered set could mean the inception of something completely new. PERMUTATION from Northern Germany took this to heart by creating the songs for their debut “Transience.” Sonically, the two-piece is heavily rooted in Black Metal, but they incorporate further elements of extreme metal into their songs to open them up for a huge dose of atmosphere and melodies whereas acoustic guitars create elegant bridges between the extreme borders.” The album has ten songs.

“A Feast for Crows” is first. It has a thick Black Metal sound, with rich guitars, shrieking vocals and thunderous drumming. After the half-way mark, the song settles into a Thrash Metal blueprint. “Arrow of Time” is a bit slower, but no less intense. It races across the sky like a line of moving thunderstorms, before settling once again, this time with deep gutturals. “Into the Abyss” begins with clean guitars before morphing into another thick and aggressive Black Metal blueprint. The lead guitar work in this song is great, and the band shows their musicianship.

“We Shall Serve” has a combination of Black and Folk Metal elements, but the vocals steal much of the thunder as they are loud, intense, and angry. “Apostasy” is even more intense, if that is possible. The guitars keep the song moving, as they dart in and around, never staying static. The clean passages bring a different element to the song. “Creation” is the shortest song on the album…a three-minute ride through pain and torture. “Feed upon their Flesh” features keys and piano for just a few moments, and I wish they would ride that sound out longer. It would bring more diversity to the album.

“You” closes the album. It has some nice bass work, an instrument that you can’t always here in Black Metal. I also like the groove and use of melody here. Overall, this was an intense album that was jam packed with sounds, to the point that you could either try to unravel them, or just enjoy them. I would go with the latter. The musicianship is excellent, and there is just enough diversity to keep the listener engaged, but to the ardent Black Metal fan, this will fulfill your beastly desires.

 

8 / 10

Excellent

Songwriting

9

Musicianship

8

Memorability

7

Production

7
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"Transience" Track-listing:

1. A Feast for Crows

2. Arrow of Time

3. Into the Abyss

4. Lost In Transience

5. We Shall Serve

6. Apostasy

7. Creation

8. Trapped In Snugness

9. Feed upon Their Flesh

10. You

 

Permutation Lineup:

Volker Racho

 

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