Artist: Triclavian
Country: Canada
Label: Serpents Head Reprisal
Formats: Cassette EP
Year: 2023
While this trio from Canada may be a somewhat arcane entity, with all three members appearing only by their initials, the fact that this demo (or EP, if you like) was released on cassette by Serpents Head Reprisal must give away at least some of the magic of that obscurity. Especially when you realise that this underground label is helmed by Haasiophis of Antediluvian.
The three songs plus intro give you just over 15 minutes of the vilest and noisiest of Blackened Death Metal, pretty much in the vein of early Angelcorpse, Von, Black Witchery, Katharsis, Teitanblood, Mitochondrion and, you might have guessed it, Antediluvian. After the short intro, the trio flies straight at your neck, like a three-headed snake strangling all life out of your puny body with its relentless aggression. Fast riffs, all-consuming drums and the (somewhat) standard brutal vocals tumble over each other in an ultimate chaotic whirlwind that has nothing in mind but pure destruction. Like the aforementioned bands, Triclavian leaves nothing to the imagination, in this case it means you get what you expect, without too much fuss or special creativity – let alone musicality. The noisy outro is perhaps the thing that comes closest to any unconventionalism.
Of course, no one who likes to indulge in this kind of music is looking for innovative formulas and delicate musical explorations. Turning it around, should you be looking for regressive and insensitive buffoonery, you’ve come to the right place with Triclavian. Those interested can turn to Serpents Head Reprisal for a well-priced cassette tape version of this fine piece of Canadian subtlety.
