Beyond
Lhaäd

From Bandcamp, “To begin to understand LHAAD, one must dissect the band's phonetically & visually unique moniker: an anagram of "hadal." The hadal zone, also known as the hadopelagic zone, is the deepest region of the ocean, lying within oceanic trenches. The name comes from Hades, the ancient Greek god of the underworld. Fittingly, LHAAD bring the same, incredibly vast darkness & tension as if they were to capture and take you to the ocean floor, deep within the largest abysses. “Beyond” sees LHAAD utilizing a made-up, improvised language, lending ever more mystery. During the last seconds of the album's outro, you can hear "there's nothing beyond this world but fire." In the background, there's a fire sample running, instead of the typical water samples; the mesmerizing cover art can also provide some tantalizing insight. With all three albums conceptually about the deep sea, “Beyond” closes this chapter - the trilogy is over.”
The album has six songs, or movements if you will. The first is aptly titled “I.” The opening tension is thick, and without vocals, it has an ominous warning in the music. Thunderheads clap, and an aggressive riff enters with harsh vocals. They paint a picture of darkness in their music…the kind that is magical and dangerous after the sun goes down at night. “II” is even darker, and the dissonant guitar chords sound like warning bells. There is a brief pause before blast beat drums enter, and they supplement the horror in the vocals. “III” is a wrecking ball of energy and aggression, and that riff is thick and pervasive. There is also a slower, more somber passage in the song. “IV” is a combination of contentious and harrowing elements…the kind that make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It slows to some atmosphere for a spell, but that frightening, ominous sound returns.
“V” is another deeply harrowing affair with plenty of aggression and anger, and it stays the course throughout the song with a high level of intensity. “IV” is the final song, and it caps the tale with shades of darkness. There is another slow down approaching the halfway mark, where lead guitars hold enough tension to burst. But the aggression returns with a vengeance. Some call the oceans the “final frontier,” as there is much humans are unable to explore. Some characterize it as a horror movie waiting to be filmed. There are weird anomalies, strange phenomena, unidentified life and sounds. If there’s ever going to be a real-life underwater alien base, or entrance to a hollow Earth...it’s gonna be down there. This album reflects this deep unknown with a lot of harrowing fear.
8 / 10
Excellent
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production

"Beyond" Track-listing:
1. Beyond I
2. Beyond II
3. Beyond III
4. Beyond IV
5. Beyond V
6. Beyond VI
Lhaäd Lineup:
Lykormas – Everything
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