Dark Buddha Rising - Mathreyata (2020)

Always delivering a truly hypnotic and ritualistic aural experience, today we have Dark Buddha Rising and their latest opus “Mathreyata”. Hailing from Finland, this outfit continues to captivate audiences with their piercing and ritualistic compositions, unleashing nearly 43 minutes of music in four tracks. For those that like heavy distorted guitars, trippy percussions and tempo changes, alongside a good dose of Drone, Sludge, and Pysch, this release is face melting.

Opening with the trippy “Sunyaga”, the listener is faced with a barrage of pummeling riffs alongside a psychedelic undertone. Vocalist Marko Neuman is one of those weird forces that seems to unleash multiple personalities while singing, creating a very mysterious and yet brutal aural. Feeling already numb and subdued, the second track “Nagathma” takes the eerie atmospherics to a whole new level thanks to some superbly creepy elements paired alongside crafty drum patterns and spacious guitars.

Creating some astral dissonance, “Uni” slowly warms up with a droney vibe, thanks to creative percussions and very subtle distorted guitars, creating a thick suspense and excruciating expectation. Saving the most ritualistic track for last, “Mahatgata III”, features devilish clean female vocals to set the mood and nearly 15 minutes of crafty instrumentation alongside hellish shrieks of desperation. An overall very interestingly progressing piece that nicely showcases the band’s atmospheric and yet aggressive talents.

As a whole, “Mathreyata” is another captivating release from this unique outfit. With a high replay value and tons of little elements to discover, the members of Dark Buddha Rising make their mark in 2020. If the Waste of Space Orchestra release from last year was not enough, this album will certainly satisfy the cravings of fans of bands like Oransi Pazuzu with some sprinkles of Amenra and even Neurosis thrown into the mix.

Label: Svart Records

Release: November 13th, 2020

Genre: Psychedelic/Atmospheric/Experimental Sludge/Doom/Drone Metal

Country: Finland