Besotten : Eye of the Monolithicrypt

You could say that my musical tastes are varied; eclectic, even. As I’ve gotten older I find myself venturing into more experimental jazz. International Anthem out of Chicago has been a go-to spot for me as of late, digging on bands like SML and artists like Jeff Parker, Makaya McCraven, Jeremiah Chiu, Josh Johnson, Gregory Uhlmann and all of their associated projects. It’s a fruitful and ever-expanding musical world that is bursting with creativity and stunning musical shenanigans.

I still do love a good singer/songwriter record as well. And yes, I will occasionally go down those darker musical alleyways and find myself on a bit of a doom/stoner/sludge metal binge. Heavy music has followed me from my teen years hunting down Slayer and Death Angel records, and bands like High On Fire and Blood Incantation fill those chugging metal urges in me. Occasionally I’ll go on a bender and find someone new, like Portland’s Besotten.

From the striking album art to the black and white ‘dudes in leather jackets standing in the woods’ band photo, this three-piece band’s debut titled Eye of the Monolithicrypt checks all the boxes for a solid death/doom metal musical excursion. Looking and sounding like these Pacific Northwest dudes were equal fans of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, and even some Norwegian black metal like Mayhem and Burzum. While I’m sure there’s touches of that Satanic/Heathenistic Nordic musical bloodline, Besotten’s debut feels more interested in textures and building mood. The mood? Well, pretty dark.

Will you like this? Well, the RIYL section of their Bandcamp page mentions bands like Worm, Disembowelment, Hooded Menace, Abyssal Rift, Undergang. If those bands are your bag then proceed. If you just like really heavy, thoughtful, complex and LOUD metal music with glass-gargled vocals then proceed…with caution.

Eye of the Monolithicrypt wastes no time. “Mist of Decay” opens things in a slow roll to damnation. Bassist and singer Garth Purkett growls and seethes vocally, while holding down the low end with guttural bass. Patrick Sinn-Movilla’s guitar and synth work add plenty of mood while Andy Osborn’s drums are the booming war rhythm that keeps this death train chugging. “Cruentation” is pure sonic violence, going from slow burn to death metal frenzy all the while the vocals coming across like incantations from some other dimension.

From the moody “Bathed in Insufferable Light” to the breakneck “Storming The Cerebral Citadel” and the moody and dour 11 1/2 minute closer “Bloodcairn”, Besotten pushes the boundaries of heavy and extreme metal by laying waste to your senses in visceral, annihilative beauty. Eye of the Monolithicrypt leaves no sense completely singed.