EP Review: The Sept – MMXXIII (Cursed Monk Records)

Hailing from Dublin, The Sept is a collaborative music project led by Philip Caomhánach. With influences spanning the raw immediacy of early Bolt Thrower to the transfixing chaos of The Body, The Sept draws on an alchemical mix of grind, death and noise. In its current form, it harbours thematic sympathies for Gaelic antiquity and nineteenth century esoterica.

The project’s steady emphasis on collaboration is evident on the new EP: MMXXIII, with vocal contributions by Liam Hughes (Soothsayer, Procession of Spectres); Nick Vahdias (Evocator, Hessian Firm) and multi-disciplinary artist Suzanne Walsh, as well as Alto-Sax performances by Cathal Roche.

MMXXIII will be released on December 18th, 2023, via Cursed Monk Records.

It’s a worrisome and threatening start to the EP, as oppressive effects introduce A Nonmoral Sense, building in power for over a minute, until The Sept unleash a cacophony of blackened grindcore noise. Heavy? You have no idea. The Sept conveys a serious amount of horribleness with this start, and it only gets more repulsive from this point on.

The Endless Knot, Fissures in That Which is Reflected, and Homini Sacer, all deliver varying levels of wickedness. Yet, even when The Sept chooses to showcase atmosphere, such as with Nåla Ukhthaz I, it is genuinely uncomfortable stuff.

It’s an EP of unbridled and furiously heavy intensity with all the appeal of having your teeth pulled out without anaesthesia. Evident by the frenzy of blistering savagery that comes from Nåla Ukhthaz II, one of the more elaborate and abrasive tracks. Although few will be expecting such an overtly melodramatic dark finale that Four Walls offers. It might be the festive season when this is being released, but that doesn’t mean you can’t light up a Christmas party by putting this on. It’s sure to cause many a listener to run and scream.

The Sept – MMXXIII Track Listing:

1. A Nonmoral Sense
2. The Endless Knot
3. Fissures In That Which Is Reflected
4. Homini Sacer
5. Nåla Ukhthaz I
6. Nåla Ukhthaz II
7. Four Walls

Links

Bandcamp | Cursed Monk Records