Label: Self released
Date: August 14th, 2020
I’m not usually the one to believe the band’s own press clip. They tend to oversell their product, which might seem expected, but it goes way over the line sometimes. Something like that happened with this Russian quartet too. Yet, it turned out they somehow got the point right.
Having presented two tracks from their debut EP previously, in the form of two singles, the whole material is finally presented. I would say presented to the eager public, but who is eager for another debuting band these days anyway. As most of them are terribly derivative and fail to impress even in the slightest, there must be a dose of caution when approaching such a recording. However, with “The Terminal Archetype” I’m going to blow caution to the wind and just call it impressive. Not yet groundbreaking, but with definite potential to become a force to be reckoned.
Back to the press clipping, Renunciation basically declared their music as a mix of everything you’ve heard before, resulting in something fairly unique. Now, I wouldn’t quite call it unique. More like unusual. Just try to imagine Emperor at their thrashiest and place them in the new millennia, straight amidst the global outbreak of retro thrash metal. It’s all there. You will hear that subtle, yet noticeable keyboards in the background (most of the time). That chanting vocal input is present in the title track. Ferocious guitar work in the prevalently black metal segments is there. Thrash metal parts go for the Teutonic impact, but stick to the 21st century thrash. “Deliverance from God” even starts with a punky black metal riff, similar to that of recent Darkthrone recordings. On the other hand, the final track of the EP, called “Порог”, has a lead guitar passage that sounds like Running Wild with that pirate feel to it. “Arrogance of Worms” even dives down into progressive metal somewhere in the middle, right before a short acoustic flamenco-like passage that flows back into black metal.
So many elements used, so you have to be wandering about the coherency of it all. But there is no need for it. “The Terminal Archetype” is as homogenous as it gets. Renunciation has found a way to incorporate many influences into something that might just be called their own. The EP breathes aggression. Atmospheric parts are few and far between. If I had to pick one song by the above mentioned Norwegian legends, that would perfectly describe the Russians, it would probably be “I Am the Black Wizards”. Though “Ye Entrancemperium” is a good choice too. That duel between raw aggression and atmospheric background is what Renunciation is all about. And against all the odds, they do a real good job. At least judging from the 20 minute long material. If there is enough creativity for a grand step on a full length ground is yet another question. As far as this EP is concerned, Renunciation shows a whole lot of promise for a bright future ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzLp8Pg1DBQ
