Ushangvagush - Pestmo'qon

Black metal from the United States.

Album out on September 22nd, 2023 through Realm and Ritual.

From the band's Bandcamp page:

The separation of the human mind and natures spirit has caused the starvation of this planet. The disconnection of earth and mind has destroyed the connection between humans, animals, and plants.

The growth has diminished creating starvation across a planet that is no longer home. The fear of a non-existent future deteriorates the mind, allowing the starvation of the human vessel.

We have reached a point of no return.

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Pestmo’qon is the second full-length release from indigenous black metal project Ushangvagush. Composed of a monolithic 45 minute track, Pestmo’qon ( “Starvation” in the Mi’kmaq language) is a dense slab of obsidian darkness lamenting man’s ongoing destruction of the earth and the complete disconnect between the human mind and the spirit of nature.

Ushangvagush’s sole member, D, screams through grit teeth over furious guitars and pummeling drums, “scorch & take, doe, retreat back to the stolen world. the spirits no longer bathe. gatherers flown, fear for nothing. uncertainty awaits the putrid towers.” The raw anger only subsides in momentary waves throughout Pestmo’qon, with the last gasps of beauty fading in sun-laced ambient passages before being snuffed out and returning to bitter misery. Pestmo’qon is a painfully realized album, an immersive and emotive journey through destruction and loss–of nature and of culture–to the end of all things.

The A.C. report:

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Music: 4

Production: 4

Vocals: 3.5

Text: 3.5

Cover art: 4.5

Originality: 4

Instrumentation: 4

Atmosphere: 4

Flow & cohesion: 3.5

Impact: 3.5

Replayability: 3.5 

Innovation: 3.5

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Overall: 3.8 out of 5 [Excellent]