apanthropy

Lychgate
Precipice
Debemur Morti Productions
Released: December 19th, 2025

Rating: 8.5/10

“It is unique in its individual parts and as a totality it becomes this crawling living nightmare of a record. It doesn’t attempt to stick to convention, it doesn’t allow itself to fall too deep into any one particular genre, it forges its own identity across nine tracks, nearly 48 minutes of new music, and it shows no regard for reception. Lychgate plays like a band that is completely in sync with one another, the feel, the delivery, and the composition all signal a group of veteran musicians that are capable of drawing out deep waves of tension and effortlessly resolving them into passages of atmospheric dread.”

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1 – Introduction – The Sleeper Awaits
2 – Mausoleum of Steel
3 – Renunciation
4 – The Meeting of Orion and Scorpio
5 – Hive of Parasites
6 – Death’s Twilight Kingdom
7 – Terror Silence
8 – Anagnorisis
9 – Pangaea
–

Atmospheric music is subject to one major fault and it’s a fault that has plagued a lot of bands. The music is only effective if it’s not forced or artificial sounding; drowning signals in reverb, relying on repetitious phrasing, or needlessly long songs. When a band produces an effort that feels fully organic, it becomes a sweeping and immersive experience, which is what any listener would want. Lychgate play a variation of extreme atmospheric metal which takes a foundation of modern black metal and draws in both death metal and doom metal to create a hybrid hyper-focused on a dark and ethereal tonality. In the case of Precipice, released on December 19th, 2025, through Debemur Morti Productions, the execution and sonic delivery is organic, it is dense, engaging, and fluid. It is a genuine work that produces intense atmospheres ranging from chaotic, almost old-world theatrical orchestrations to stark minimalist progressive passages, it is at times crushing and discordant, almost sour in sound, and at other times Precipice unfolds in a state that feels like one is between dream and awakening.

Founded in London, England, in 2011, Lychgate struck first with their self-titled debut full-length in 2013. Following the debut was 2015’s An Antidote for the Glass Pill and 2018’s The Contagion in Nine Steps, completing a trio of albums over a span of five years. A long silence began to settle over the band, with 2020’s Also Sprach Futura EP serving as their only release before a half decade of inactivity. The world, which is generally an undesirable place, was extra shitty in 2020, as many of us remember it. What emerged from that ugly cocoon was a band that is reaching a state of almost trance-like harmony, and Precipice is an intensely engaging return to form. It is unique in its individual parts and as a totality it becomes this crawling living nightmare of a record. It doesn’t attempt to stick to convention, it doesn’t allow itself to fall too deep into any one particular genre, it forges its own identity across nine tracks, nearly 48 minutes of new music, and it shows no regard for reception. Lychgate plays like a band that is completely in sync with one another, the feel, the delivery, and the composition all signal a group of veteran musicians that are capable of drawing out deep waves of tension and effortlessly resolving them into passages of atmospheric dread.

After the introduction track, ‘Mausoleum of Steel’ pushes forward, a complex display of post-black metal and atmospheric doom, opening immediately with multiple combative layers of sound. Rhythm tracks are angular, sharp, punishing as the wail of the lead melody engages overhead. Both vocal and music tracks are noticeably very clean, rather than hide behind a wall of reverb, the band is fully frontal and relies on nothing but raw tone and composition to invoke sinister waves of atmosphere. Keyboard work accents at times, and multiple shifts in mood and tempo leave the listener being pummeled by constant cycles of tension and resolve.

‘Renunciation’ shows the band’s fusion of atmospheric black metal to conventional death metal, especially in the percussive execution. The methodology invoked on Precipice is settling in at this point in the record, its beautiful display of fluidity and progressiveness, enchanting with its dark tonality, shirks the typical verse/chorus structure in exchange for something expansive and unrestricted. Keyboards also play a deeper role on ‘Renunciation,’ often appearing in dense, bog-like waves of organ arpeggios that move and shift in their own progressions.

‘Hive of Parasites’ is the just shy of 10 minutes in length and is the album’s masterwork in terms of progressive and dynamic phrasing, especially early in the track. Technically proficient and physically demanding, there are death metal elements at work here that simply blow past most bands in the genre. Churning, dark, and macabre riff movements merge with blasting percussion and accents from the second guitar and keyboards just culminate in a brooding sensation that is majestic in its dark expression. Orchestral elements are particularly prevalent here, making this a long-winded and captivating journey that sits in the center of the album, like an abyss that all the other tracks revolve around.

The pinnacle of depth, immersion, and atmosphere appears on ‘Death’s Twilight Kingdom,’ which simply feels otherworldly in its entirety. There is no rush in the structuring, allowing the introduction of pianos, clean guitars, and dancing bass to freely form and feed into the proper core of the track, which shows itself as rancid and dark death metal. The piano’s presence and odd central guitar melody add elements that almost feel trance-inducing.

Production on Precipice is modern and clean but doesn’t feature a lot of sharp frequencies or overproduced signals. Even with multiple layers of sound engaging in their own individual phrases, nothing is lost through frequency collisions or one track overpowering another, everything is clear and crystalline, which is a key component for the way the album invokes its immense atmospheric elements. Vocals range from deep gutturals to hoarse chest-driven rasps, mixed with a touch of reverb, giving them a ghostly sensation.

Fans of bands such as Abigor, Sigh, Arcturus, and Blut aus Nord should familiarize themselves with Precipice, as it is a captivating and engaging sonic journey that exists as a stream of complex, dark ideas. Orchestrations merged with crushing extreme metal textures, tempered by clean interlude phrases, and delivered with precise fluidity that is rare for this style of music. A proper return to form by Lychgate and a great winter release for late 2025.

Label: Debemur Morti Productions
Band: Lychgate

AJK