Teratism – La Bas (2013)

Arriving in 12” LP format to Infernal Masquerade’s office, a rare thing these days, today we have USBM’s finest offering: Teratism, and their latest diabolical opus “La Bas”. In this four song EP we have Teratism at its finest delivering uncompromising diabolical Black Metal filled with sheer power and determination. Unlike many poser USBM releases, Teratism stays true to their calling and has managed to produce one fine piece of collectible vinyl with this one.

Opening side A with a very dramatic and chaotically hellish intro to the track “Gospel of the Heliophobe” the band goes full blast in under a minute. Always characterized by the hellish riffing of Murder, and now ex-member Domitian, the band’s massive wall of devilish sound is instantly crafted. While never abusing of their raw power, they deliver solid and creepy atmospheric passages that will make you get goose bumps. Another stand-out element of this track is the piercing bass guitar line, courtesy of Giles de Rais, the band’s lyricist.

Blasting away into “Thy Swill Be Dung”, we can hear some massive drumming nicely adorning the powerful guitars and crushing vocals. The band’s speed is very enticing, but it is the way they weave destructive melodies into the music that sets them apart from your average kiddie BM outfit. This track is the moodiest of the release, switching back and forth between moods in a very effective and destructive manner. The harsh vocals work magic on this song.

When switching to side B, we are treated to the excellent “Shadows Flee the Burning Sons of Light”, in our opinion the most violent track in this release. The band pummels away for over 5 minutes with blistering riffs and an intense bass guitar line. The percussions of Desekrator are as magical as ever, and nicely keep all things in place. The screams of pain in this track greatly enhance the overall chilling atmosphere of the music. The release comes to a close with a very interesting cover of Black Widow’s “Come to the Sabbat”, while staying true to the song, the band also gave it their own Teratism signature treatment.

Aside for the killer tracks in this release, the vinyl, artwork, and attached poster are worth alone the price of admission for “La Bas”. If you are a fan of chilling and very well crafted USBM and a collector at heart, this is one package you cannot let sell out. Teratism is one hell of a band and they showed it once more with this release of older material they had lying around. Any self-respecting fan of USBM should be ordering a copy after finishing reading this sentence, so be warned.

Label: Negativity Records

Release: May 21st, 2013

Genre: Black Metal

Country: USA