Farseeing the Paranormal Abysm is the seventh The Chasm album; this is a band that inspires much cult devotion but has never established itself, either in terms of commerce or reknown, in death metal’s upper echelons despite a brief spell on Earache imprint, Wicked World, for their last album. One thing that struck me immediately about this is the cover art. Like Cathedral did for Endtyme, they seem to have forsaken the garishly colourful artwork that has been the signature of all their previous records, in exchange for darker, far more threatening imagery. Unlike Endtyme, however this Lovecraftian seascape really works, seeming far closer to the esoteric epicness that the band aim for in their music.

The tendency on previous albums towards lengthy tracks is, if anything, extended here. With the exception of short segue Farseeing… there’s nothing here below 6:40, and it features two veritable Ben Hurs at eleven minutes plus. Both of these I am particularly grateful for. Vault to the Voyage is a slow, brooding epic of murky guitar washes and creeping build-ups. And The Mission... is a multifaceted composition with a strong sense of narrative, moving through proggy vamps and shafts of melodic moonlight. As such, they both give some variety to an album that is over an hour long and which would otherwise sorely lack it. The vast majority of this is the distinctive, The Chasm approach to death metal. Its staple feature is the galloping feel of the riffs, with their energetic bass lines and skilful, twisting shapes. Or perhaps “cantering” is a better word, because whilst they produce some infernally good ideas, I sometimes feel like there is a top level of intensity that is lacking, whether it could be achieved by cranking up the speed or the heaviosity, or even by giving it a few more melodic hooks.

Anyway, these horsey similes always make me think of Steve Harris’s “clip-clop” basslines, and by extension the Iron Maiden meets Morbid Angel approach of Virginia’s bitterest honkies, Arghoslent. There is a similarity in the mid-to-up tempos and hyperactive drive of the music, but as already mentioned, this is far less tuneful, and much purer death. Instead, its strengths lie in its seamless flow from one complex riff to another. Long songs which on casual listens seem to each be a blur, reveal under closer attention clever rhythmic ideas cascading into one another, augmented by Antonio Leon’s impressive drumming. In particular I dig the sparkling, Proscriptor-like cymbal tinkling in opener Entering a Superior Dimension.

I have to say, I don’t see too much difference between this record and their previous ones, although it’s not for me to say whether or not that’s a bad thing. Maybe it’s a little less thuggishly heavy than its predecessor, The Spell of Retribution. Rather than that record’s polished, crunching sound, this has more of a wizened, arcane tone, which I think suits it. Whilst I struggle to truly appreciate the devotion some people direct at this band, this is undoubtedly highly credible and distinctive death metal.