One develops a strange relationship with the concept of “accessibility” in this gig. Take Fathomless Ritual’s debut Hymns for the Lesser Gods. This slab of murky death metal plunges you right into the maelstrom with furious opening track “Hecatomb for an Unending Madness.” The rest of the album is full of riffs that land like an oddly shaped object dropped from a third-story window: they bounce around unpredictably, and if you’re not careful they might just hit you in the face. My point is, no one will play Hymns for the Lesser Gods as the soundtrack to a spin class. Why, then, does the phrase “like a more accessible Demilich” recur in my listening notes? B. Dean, who does everything here, draws a deep lungful of inspiration from the Finnish pioneers of the weird. He then sweetens up their sound with a never-ending blitz of catchy riffs and the strategic application of groove. Is Fathomless Ritual onto something here, or are we wandering in the wilds of Tribcore?
That which challenged us yesterday becomes today’s canon. B. Dean seems to understand that the collective metal audience has long since digested the off-kilter innovations of Demilich’s Nespithe. Fathomless Ritual breaks no new ground here, content rather to deliver a fleet and exhilarating tour of what are now the tropes of a certain subsect of Olde-School Death. B. Dean’s penchant for groove asserts itself early on tracks like “Exiled to the Lower Catacombs” and “Gorge of the Nameless.” Hymns for the Lesser Gods boasts enough variety to keep things entertaining throughout its forty-minute span. A winding lead guitar line that doubles the central riff invigorates “Grafted to the Chambers of Mirth;” the amazingly titled “Wielding the Bone Wand” boasts ever-transmuting riffs and is the best song on the set. Dean’s vocals, which live somewhere between a burp and a growl, are mostly just background noise, and he could have used another ear to handle the undistinguished production. Still and all, fans of the genre should happily burp along to these Hymns.
B. Dean’s other projects (Pukewraith, Fumes, etc.) have yet to rawdog my earholes, but he acquits himself well as a songwriter. The album roars out of the gate, builds momentum with the aforementioned right-left combo of “Exiled to the Lower Catacombs” and “Gorge of the Nameless,” and never relinquishes its grip. The longer pieces here (“Gifts for Aranaku” and “Grafted to the Chambers of Mirth”) sometimes feel like Fathomless Ritual is running the same playbook to diminished effect, but the songs are packed with enough variety to keep things generally spry. Hymns for the Lesser Gods’ rollicking run-through genre tropes recalls the reliably infectious Cryptworm. Little here to tax or challenge, but hints of a guiding vision do pop up and there’s plenty to keep your knuckles dragging along for forty minutes.
Hymns for the Lesser Gods sets its own ceiling, then does a decent job hovering near the apex of its ambitions. B. Dean’s mixing and mastering is a consistent drag on his own songwriting. It’s not disastrous, but there’s a nagging sense that these songs could be showcased more effectively. My ear had to root around in the mix to find the riffs. This sort of murk used to be part of the fun of committing yourself to metal fandom. Fortunately, technology has brought us a long way, and Fathomless Ritual’s production is not to modern standards. The vocals share in the shortfall. Here as elsewhere, B. Dean owes an obvious debt to Antti Boman of Demilich. But where he energizes the music with some new ideas, Dean’s gutturals land as perfunctory.
The one-man act obviously affords a creator the opportunity to port their musical vision right into your ears. Fathomless Ritual knows what it’s going for, and they deliver an enjoyable debut that I’ll spin again. Hopefully, B. Dean will find someone to challenge him in the right ways on future efforts. Until then, Hymns for the Lesser Gods is a solid slab of death metal that’s unlikely to engage you much past the length of its run-time.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity
Websites: fathomlessritual.bandcamp.com | instagram.com/fathomlessritual
Releases Worldwide: March 1, 2024
