Tetragrammacide – Cyber-Tantric Paradigm of Radical Sri-Vidya [EP]

With each new release from this duo hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal; a repeated series of pulverisingly vicious global stirs have been instigated that may lead some to anxiously consider the state of recent Richter scale readings within the city of Kolkata. Still riding off of the geological disruption that laid waste to not just the Indian, but the global Extreme Metal Underground with 2023’s incredible second full length album entitled ‘Typho-Tantric Aphorisms From The Arachneophidian Qur’an’, an album that showcased Tetragrammacide as not just one of the heaviest acts on the planet instrumentally, but with a display of thematic concepts that were equal parts awe inspiring and deeply terrifying. (VM Underground also reviewed this album back in 2023). This malevolent active volcano of Indian misanthropy is back once again with a three track EP of songs that are more raw and arguably even more unsettlingly psychedelic than the band’s last outing.

This new EP features tracks that were recorded between 2017/2018 and have now been released unto the blighted metalscape. The title, after myself having researched it, seems to be in regards to Hindu mantras and could possibly be a reference to the ardent practice and devotion to Sri Vidya traditions which are believed, with enough practice to have the potential to bestow powers such as telepathy and hypnotism. The opening track, as wordy as we have come to expect from this band is entitled ‘Multi-Armed Bellicosity of Babylon-Durga Riding on the Xeno-Beast of Grand Apocalypse to Trigger the Outbreak of a Pan-Dimensional Holy Pogrom’. The song opens to an intimidating and almost hymnal declaration of pitch shifting spoken word vocal oration whilst a powerful wave of harsh white noise obscures the vocal mantra before the band takes full instrumental stride, bashing your head against a stone floor with drums that have a low fidelity ‘played in an empty warehouse’ timbre and the sort of raw, all enveloping vocal growls that sound like they were recorded through the gritty microphone of an obsolete camcorder.

Whilst more raw in its approach than the previous full length, the EP manages more instrumental clarity between the drums and guitars. This is to the benefit of the songs as the occasional use of guitar harmonics could easily be washed out within the density of the mix. The bass tones are fat and fuzzy and fill out the space left by the intentionally harsher drums. The second track actually features some riffs that have quite the groove and stride about them, which, in this lane of ultra dense, ultra depraved War Metal is refreshing. The third and final track ‘Astro- Theological’ is the most ruthlessly drum heavy of the bunch and with some sustained lead guitar sections that almost amount to a vague sense of melodicism amongst the ridiculous heft of the song. Although short in runtime, this EP is another superb, psychedelic, and utterly furious batch of tracks from one of the most punishing bands on the planet.