Nogothula - Telluric Sepsis

Nogothula is a death metal band from Ohio, who formed in 2021. Their latest album, “Telluric Sepsis,” is their debut-full length album; they have also released an EP.

This album is one hell of a surprise for me.  Apparently, it came out back in April in digital but is making its rounds again at the end of the year because it’s getting physical releases.  Well deserved and I bet this sounds killer on vinyl.

Although obviously death metal oriented, there are some blackened and progressive elements thrown into the mix as well.  Throw in a spacey/sci-fi atmosphere to the brutal proceedings and the creation is the monstrous “Telluric Sepsis.”

Across the 9 song, 43 minute runtime, the band weaves its tendrils through the void across various tempos and style changes that kept me on my toes.  It’s never too much at once, however, and all the songs compliment each other and the album’s overall style.  The familiarity that exists across the album keeps it anchored just enough to allow exploration without going off the rails.

The album opens with one of the best intro songs I’ve heard all year, “Awakening.”  It isn’t some random bullshit noise or spacey intro that goes nowhere.  This is nearly two and a half minutes of crushing waves of deadly, sweltering death metal.  The dual vocal approach is introduced early and it makes their music that much more chaotic and uncompromising. 

The following song, “Chaospore” picks up where the intro leaves, introducing itself with a barrage of drums.  The guitars offer ominous tones of atmospheric waves of pressure that effortlessly slide into more riff-based structures, that ride along with the drums for a double dose of speed. 

The song is surprisingly catchy, more than music this extreme usually is.  Groove is offered, but not focused upon, so the best never really rests on its laurels too long before moving on. 

“Lacerating Vibrations,”  is utterly fantastic.  The first half of the song explodes outward with instant urgency, something the band seems more than capable of providing throughout the album.  The vocals switch between deep growls and high screams—twisted and visceral.  The song lives in little worlds for seconds at a time: a pocket of groove here, a passage of nearly unbearable speed there.  As the notes wind their way through this labyrinth, the tempo pulls back for a showing of atmosphere.  The chaos ensues once again before dropping off to terrifyingly cold, spacey textures. 

“Labyrinthian Sunken Spires,” is gripping because of that blackened scream that rips through as frenzied instrumentals barrage my senses.  This song is like a train wreck put to music—it’s all carnage, broken, bent notes that destroy and build at the same time. The first half is methodical in its extremity but the later half is mostly slower tempos that allow the destruction to seep in, like blood absorbed into the dirt.

The final song, “Meandering Comatose Twilight... The Carrion Viaduct,” is the best on the album and an absolute adventurous take on death metal.  The alien sounds ramp up the energy, passing it off to slow, atmospheric distortion that is cold and evil.  This song is more than a little unnerving; the band pulls out all the stops and incorporates every idea of the album into this journey of the void.  The later half of the song mixes the tempo up between slow and pummeling, ensuring that I never had a moment’s rest.  Can a song be exhausting?  This one is, in the best way possible.

Nogothula’s “Telluric Sepsis,” is a fantastic display of death metal with imagination and if you missed it in April, do yourself a favor and make sure you give it a chance now.