A trilogy of works grouped under a single title and offered for listening in one solution, ESOCTRILIHUM’s “Astraal Constellations Of The Majickal Zodiac” undoubtedly represents the summa of their mystical black/death metal and constitutes an unicum not only in the now vast repertoire of the French band, but in general in today’s extreme metal scene.
It is a monumental space opera with obscure contours, which tells of star wars between bizarre zodiacal deities who contend for dominion over reality through psychic control of minds. Beyond a more or less explicit inspiration to Lovecraftian cosmogonies, here ESOCTRILIHUM’s lore is enriched with further ideas that mix space-time concepts, astrology and reptilian conspiracy theories.
Mastered by Gabriele Gramaglia (COSMIC PUTREFACTION, VERTEBRA ATLANTIS), the trilogy follows a clear path of evolution, both through the themes covered and through the wonderful paintings by Dhomth that represent them.
The first LP, “In The Mystic Trance of Tȃimonh Ѳx, The Cosmic Bull God” synthesizes the occult-psych tendencies of ESOCTRILIHUM’s style through a series of pieces in which the violence is dispersed in a thousand hypnotic rivulets and enveloping mystical melodies, layered ones above the others to erect a cathedral of sounds.
The second LP, “In The Presence Of AlŭBḁḁl, The 5-Eyed Star Beast” is the most aggressive, majestic and brutal chapter. Asthâghul’s black/death metal compositions transform into glorious anthems of an all-encompassing war between demonic constellations, starring cosmic tyrants, telepathic stellar basilisks and their bestial armies.
The third LP, “In The Mouth Of Zi-Dynh-Gtir, The Serpen-Time Eater” harmonizes both the psychedelic and brutal souls of ESOCTRILIHUM in two long, doom-tinged progressive suites that suck everything into a black hole of titanic proportions. A uroboric bellows that blows life into new space-time dimensions, so that the zodiacal war can continue forever and Death extends its dominions beyond the spheres of the imaginable.
Again, Asthâghul takes us to worlds beyond worlds, where madness is the only possible refuge to survive in a hostile universe that we do not understand.