RITES OF THY DEGRINGOLADE - An Ode To Sin (12" LP)
Canada | Black/Death
Detailed Description
Rites of Thy Degringolade was formed in 1997 by Paulus Kressman, who up to that point had served on drums and vocals in Sacramentary Abolishment. Paulus began Rites of Thy Degringolade as the lone member and multi-instrumentalist and continued in that role through the release of the band's self-titled demo in 1999 and its first full-length album, "The Caryatid," which was released the following year. On later recordings, and beginning with its second album, "Totality," the band began incorporating additional members to it ranks, which culminated in the recording and release of its third album, "An Ode to Sin," in 2005, with the lineup of Paulus (drums/vocals), J. Wroth (guitars/bass/vocals), and Malevolus (guitars/bass). "An Ode to Sin" marks a high point in the development of the band's particular brand of death black metal. This album is clearly imbued with chaos, as evidenced by the disorienting array of riffs and progressions, in addition to the frenetic, multi-dimensional nature of Paulus' drumming. Indeed, there are times during this album where it is difficult to comprehend how it could have possibly been recorded with just a single drummer. Perhaps even more impressive than the seemingly endless supply of fills and rhythmic variations that Paulus is so adept at executing is the unsurpassed precision with which he does so. Further augmenting the perfection in Paulus' delivery is the appropriately percussion-focused nature of the album's production, which continues in the well-established tradition of Canadian black metal legends such as Blasphemy, Conqueror, and Revenge.
2015 marks approximately ten years since Rites of Thy Degringolade was originally put to rest. Thankfully, it also marks the band's recent resurrection, as it has made preliminary plans for some upcoming festival dates, a European tour, and perhaps even new material. To celebrate this fortunate turn of events, Nuclear War Now! is honored to offer a repress of "An Ode to Sin," as it had originally released in 2005 (albeit this time in a standard, single-pocket jacket with insert). With this release, NWN! aims to widen the footprint of one of the most overlooked, but also most-deserving, black metal bands of its kind.
