At this point, it’s safe to say that Esoctrilihum is a true anomaly of the underground. Whether or not you’re able to lose yourself in the chaotic realms that the entity has carefully been crafting across several releases over the years, it has to be said that the name’s output and expanse cannot be easily likened to many others throughout the underground. The one-man act has been challenging both himself and his listeners with each album exploring something new than the previous whether it’s in expanding his sonic reign or exploring new themes. In his latest excursion to places heretofore unknown, that daring and terror is only continued in magnificent form.
While I think it would be a dubious statement to say that any work of Esoctrilihum is one that stands completely apart from the rest, I do think it’s accurate to say that something different was certainly attempted, even if it’s only a little bit. Across many works of Esoctrilihum, the idea of something new has always driven the act forward across a staggering discography that has grown at a staggering rate. With this latest opus of interstellar insanity, it’s with a dazzling focus on a more symphonic approach that “Annochiül Xar Sorthïlazur” stands out from its predecessors. Intentionally operatic and absolutely captivating, Esoctrilihum has defied the odds yet again to deliver unto us an experience that’s as visceral and unyielding as it is calculated and masterfully crafted. Invocations across interdimensional space that see both Esoctrilihum and the listener commune with cosmic entities of deep lore and menace, “Annochiül Xar Sorthïlazur” sees Esoctrilihum’s vocal talent expand into bold new territory while offering a macabre, mystical sense of majesty into the cacophonous black-death metal that Esoctrilihum has become known for. This is a record that defies expectations and almost denies translation into mere words. A psychedelic and harrowing trip into passages unknown carved out by deities we should not be in contact with, it is in these nine tracks that Esoctrilihum offers us a voracious symphony of chaos that is intimidating from beginning to end, but something that is endlessly rewarding with forbidden knowledge should you dare excavate all that the record has to offer.
It would be an understatement to say that Esoctrilihum has been a force to respect for several years now, and it is with this new creation that only further cements that irrefutable fact. Ever has this entity been seeking new ground to dominate and add to its growing multi-dimensional dominion where the laws of our reality are merely a suggestion and terror permeates the very air in every form. That proves to be no different with “Annochiül Xar Sorthïlazur” serving as the latest reminder as to the exact kind of act that we’re dealing with here.
“Annochiül Xar Sorthïlazur” releases on October 9th via I, Voidhanger Records!
LISTEN to advanced tracks from “Annochiül Xar Sorthïlazur” on Bandcamp here.
Esoctrilihum does not have an active social media account at this time that I can find, so please follow Esoctrilihum via its Bandcamp page here or I, Voidhanger Records’s Bandcamp page here to stay up to date on the band’s activities.