Review by Carl on September 24, 2023.

I'm really torn on this one, you know. On the one hand, this is just one 36 minute long song that seemingly consists out of nothing more than an endless succession of slams, gutturals and squeals, and that's about all. On the other hand, I like my slamming death metal to be as caveman and demented as possible, and now that I have gotten it, I should not feel the need to complain, you know.

This stuff is as heavy as a cruise ship filled with baking lard, while carrying a sold-out gathering of 70's Elvis Presley lookalikes. Utterly devoid of any musical frills whatsoever, this lumbering beast of a release lurches forth, with as a sole objective causing severe blunt force trauma.

And you bet your sweet behind that this shit is heavy as fuck! Not heavy, but HEAVY, like a morbidly obese Devourment would sound. The guitars are downtuned in such a way that the guitarist has to take the elevator to the basement to change his strings. Drenched in fuzzed-out distortion, both bass and guitar are totally crushing throughout, making the slamming parts sound immense. Underpinned by a mechanical, somewhat lifeless sounding drum machine, these form the basis for the two vocalists to ply their trade. One provides the vomitous gutturals, while the other utilizes a kind of squealing, that here and there does get on my nerves a bit. There are almost no fast parts present throughout, save for some goregrind-styled 'oompa' type of rhythms and an occasional acceleration towards the end of the album. Bolstered by a just that bit too digital production, this is a hulking piece of granite, that sure is a crushing piece of brutal slam for sure.

While I sure can appreciate the reckless heaviness present on this album, I also have to admit that it also is a pretty monotonous offering at times. When that "Whoa, that's heavy!" feeling subsides, the realization starts to creep up on you that it all sounds pretty same-y. The band does try to alleviate this somewhat with the aforementioned change of rhythms, but this can't avoid getting a sense of over-saturation in the end. And while I'm ticking off the stuff that I didn't feel: my cd has a bonus track of a German spoken sample underscored by a slamming part that does not really add anything, and I could have easily have done without.

Looking at this album from a distance, I'd say that I can most certainly appreciate the sheer intensity and pulverizing heaviness of the whole, but in the end I'd have to conclude that a tad more variety would've been a very welcome something. Still, this is not a bad release, because it oozes copious amounts of caveman stomp, sure to please all the slamophiliacs out there, for sure.

In short: has the thought ever crept up on you that acts such as Disnormality, Acranius or Epicardiectomy are too subtle at what they do, then this is the release for you!

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Alex on April 30, 2019.

Calyx come storming from the murky thresholds of Spain with their debut Vientos Arcaicos which translates to Archaic Winds which would also hyperbolically describe the material on here. The Spanish metal arena is filled with many great bands spanning all genres, let's add Calyx to the long list. 

Calyx plays a blend of 2nd wave black metal combined with 1st wave black metal sections, thrash metal, some eerie doom sections and panoramic landscapes. It is evident from the very first track off the record “La venganza de las brujas” that is Spanish for “The Revenge of the Witches” that Calyx knows the recipe of adequately blending the portions for an effective outcome. All songs are sung in the Spanish tongue adding a spell of native loyalty being cast over the audio. The material on Vientos Arcaicos is pulsing with contrasting guitar work in ranging from first wave to second wave black metal and even some groove and thrash. Most times starting out as 2nd wave black metal then progressing into somewhat semi-technical drumming that is in-turn shouldered by alternating styles, leaving the listener with a spellbinding sense of satisfaction for majority of the record. 

Vientos Arcaicos could also be very animated at times thanks to the snarls of the front-man never failing to demonstrate and give a true black metal of old feeling. His high registers are evil sounding (like a corrupt witch) for lack of a better description, and the semi-toned growls add a miasmic presence. When you're having fun jamming to songs like “Asedio infernal” or even the self-titled track, it’s amazing how fast time can unnoticeably shoot by. All entries append to something that is trusted to keep the listener nodding, it’s just the result of good compositional direction paying off for Calyx.  

Amazing how the stamina of the vocalist is kept especially when snarling in such a raw nasty way. That's real vocal fatigue for any inexperienced individual and it certainly had to have been a natural trait the way its effortlessly put forth for consumption. Though it’s a long record for my liking, still, the momentum of the songs takes you through with ease and without being exhausted. This could be attributed to the different styles used to create the musical landscapes as heard on the heavy tremolo picking of “La venganza de las” to the fast-paced thrashing of “Asedio Infernal”. Needless to say, but whatever, the guitar work is exceptionally precise when tackling any of the mentioned styles, in so, giving the record an added layer of competency and clarity. And the drumming in moving from thrash metal to black metal and even some groovy sections is clockwork in a (smooth sense of transition). Perhaps a good example would be “La Sima” as it makes clear just how seamless the flow between the genres are operated, hence leading to a solidified piece of craft. Wise musicianship all round, not forgetting the background choirs that appear on “La Sima” and others. They never intrude but offer another layer to the already potent atmosphere of Vientos Arcaicos. This is one of those “out of the blue” gifts that keep on giving, just spend a moment with the title track, then try to convince yourself that's not golden quality. Traditional heavy metal, doom metal (for the song intro), black metal; it’s all there and is homogeneously combined. 

Vientos Arcaicos is essential listening, it deserves to be on the map of 2019’s exceptional releases. Don't let this pass you by, you’ll be doing yourself a great disfavor.

Rating: 8 out of 10