THE CHASM

"Iron-Willed Death Metal" is written inside the booklet of THE CHASM's "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" and a better way of summing up the passion and resolve of the Chicago/Mexico act's long career does not exist.

Vocalist/guitarist/conceptualist/leader Daniel Corchado has seen and done it all; from bad record deals to shitty trends to DIY troubles. Through it all he's cared most about one solitary thing: THE CHASM and making the most heartfelt, personal, and unique Metal of Death that he possibly can, regardless of what is happening in the world around him. Along with veteran members Julio Viterbo (guitars/bass) and Antonio Leon (drums),he has gone it alone once again, leaving Earache Records after the release of another excellent opus (2004's "The Spell of Retribution") and crafting another ode to the ancients in "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" on his own Luxinframundis Productions.

Responsible for all lyrics, artwork, layout, mixing and production (Geoff Montgomery engineers),Corchado has created a spiritual journey into the abyss for which he can be proud. "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" is 62 minutes of a band that sounds as fresh and exciting as ever. Fans of masterworks like 2000's "Procession to the Infraworld" and 2002's "Conjuration of the Spectral Empire" (any album really) will find the new long player to be a collection of songs that work together as a musical journey of ferocious — for lack of a better term, as THE CHASM is a genre unto itself — blackened death metal with morbid atmosphere. It is old school, yet not dated, its typically long songs are dynamically arranged, yet never dull, and its impact most forceful when heard as a complete album at full volume, preferably wearing headphones.

The music lunges with sections of ripping thrash and black metal bellicosity, pulls back and ponders with light moments of chilling dread and somber melodic flourishes, and attacks again with cutthroat DM intensity. Corchado's cavernous vocals are harsh and sinister, coming off like the echoes of a thousand suffering souls crying out from the bowels of Hell. Though necessary as it may be to dissect the individual elements for the sake of the uninitiated, the whole is always bigger than the sum of the parts when it comes to an album by THE CHASM. Each disc is a journey and the music is written to lift the listener out of this mortal world and take him/her on a rollercoaster ride of nightmarish proportions, the passenger holding on with white knuckles and mouth agape as unspeakable rituals and mind-fucking events unfold all around.

Those new to the game will take notice of no less than three instrumentals, yet making note of those separately does not work in the context of an album by THE CHASM. As stated earlier, it is about the entire enterprise, not compartmentalization. But if you must assess in that manner, then realize that nobody — and I mean nobody — has mastered the art of the instrumental like THE CHASM. These are not mere interludes (OK, short synth piece "The Farseeing…" is an interlude, making it a fourth non-vocal piece),they too are memorable pieces of metal, just as much as the tracks with vocals.

As for the differences between "Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm" and its predecessors, they are not vast, but they are significant. Mainly, it is the wider range of vocals utilized — all still creepy as hell — and the selective use of synth effects that give these anthems of the dead a new coat of paint. The central style has not changed; only the coloration, and it is all for the betterment of the approach.

It is always tough to adequately assess a new album by THE CHASM and determine where it stands against previous releases after only a couple of weeks because it is only with time that one can truly determine a disc's overall worth. Besides, it is never a question of good or bad; only degrees of excellence. At this moment, I still prefer albums like "Procession to the Infraworld", "Conjuration of the Spectral Empire", and maybe "The Spell of Retribution", but this one is quickly gaining on them; the production values are certainly stronger than earlier works. It makes little difference because THE CHASM only knows how to make great albums. Find out for yourself at www.enterthedeathcult.com.