Iconic death thrash metal band Pentagram (Chile) was formed in Santiago, Chile in 1985. At the time, the country was roiling from political upheaval, but that didn't stop Anton Reisenegger, Juan Pablo Uribe, and (former drummer) Eduardo Topelberg from ingesting and eventually emulating the brutalist, evilest forms of metal from around the world.
Pentagram (Chile) recently announced their new album, Eternal Life Of Madness, and today share a lyric video for the track "The Portal". Watch below.
Pentagram (Chile) is comprised of guitarist/vocalist Anton Reisenegger, guitarist Juan Pablo Uribe, drummer Juan Pablo Donoso, and bassist Juan Francisco Cueto. The band marched forward from their debut The Malefice (2013) while preserving the savage DNA that informed Darkthrone, At The Gates, Dismember, Napalm Death, and many others.
Eternal Life of Madness, which is a far-off salute to the group's classic Spell Of The Pentagram from their 1987 first Demo, features the crushing heft of "Possessor," "El Imbunche," "The Portal," and "Deus Est Machina."
"When the pandemic hit, and I was in lockdown at home in Spain, I started writing riffs for a new Lock Up album," says Reisenegger, who plays guitar in grind legends Brujeria and Chilean groove-thrash masters Criminal. "I realized some of the stuff I wrote had the original Pentagram (Chile) feeling, so I put those ideas aside. They started piling up, so when the Lock Up ’The Dregs of Hades' record was done, I began arranging them and working remotely with our drummer, Juan Pablo Donoso. I didn't even realize I had all that material in me, but it was somehow untapped. We had a 'false start' a few years before when original guitarist JP Uribe, JP Donoso, and I got together and started jamming on some new riffs. 'The Portal' came out of those sessions.”
Though never explicitly political lyrically, Pentagram (Chile) have issued angst-ridden proclamations throughout their 39-year existence. The relics of the waning (and most repressive) years of Augusto Pinochet's reign have long memories, manifesting via supernatural and horrific lyrics. Previous songs, such as “The Apparition”, “Sacrophobia” and “Prophetic Tremors” (all from The Malefice), have dealt with superstition, mental disorder, and cataclysm. The Eternal Life Of Madness is no different. Anton Reisenegger brings to bear his favorite themes, imbuing them with the world's weight. From the folkloric “El Imbunche” and the god-challenge of “Omniscient Tyrant” to the horror-themed “Possessor” and the apocalyptic visions of “No One Shall Survive” these are some of Pentagram (Chile)'s most intense lyrics to date.
Eternal Life Of Madness will be released on April 26, 2024 on Listenable.
Tracklisting:
“El Imbunche”
“Possessor”
“Omniscient Tyrant”
“The Portal”
“Eternal Life Of Madness”
“Icons Of Decay”
“Devourer Of Life”
“State Of Grace”
“The Seeds Of The Deed”
“Deus Est Machina”
“No One Shall Survive”
"The Portal" lyric video:
