Album Review: Eximperitus – “Meritoriousness of Equanimity” (Technical/Brutal Death)

Written by Kep

I’m gonna be honest, folks. I fucked up when it comes to Eximperituserqethhzebibšiptugakkathšulweliarzaxułum. I’ve been avoiding their music for years, primarily because of that unwieldy name, which has always felt like a gimmick and I’m pretty sure led to me mixing them up with XavlegbmaofffassssitimiwoamndutroabcwapwaeiippohfffX, a band whose music I’ve simple never cared to hear. Eximperitus (which is the only way any sane person bothers to write it) say their name “entirely reveals the unutterable name of the antiuniverse. When divided into fragments, it creates the magic spell of the formless Lords of the prior Darkness” and to that I respond: *wanking motion* okay bro. But! a trusted source recently told me to give Meritoriousness of Equanimity a shot—and they *are* on Willowtip, who are as trustworthy a source of quality riffs as it gets—so I did, and then I did my back-catalogue research, and I can admit it. I fucked up. These guys have the juice. 

The anonymous Belarusian outfit’s third full-length is a continuation of the slower, more cerebral material of 2021’s Šahrartu, which moved away from the more traditional tech brutality of their debut, the lengthy sesquipedalian name of which I won’t bother to write here. Meritoriousness of Equanimity feels esoteric and thoughtful, wholly immersing the listener in atmosphere in an almost cinematic way. That isn’t to say it won’t beat you to a bloody pulp, though; there’s material on this record as fast and brutal as their early releases, and plenty of drawn-out passages designed to utterly wreck your neck even as they transport you to eerie obelisks half-buried in desert sands. 

The pacing on this record is damn well pristine, its track lengths and overall flow remarkably varied and well-balanced. Songs flow into one another seamlessly, while the album’s two interludes are smartly placed, each providing a necessary pensiveness and sense of rumination. The meatiest portion of Meritoriousness of Equanimity’s runtime lies between these interludes, in its center three tracks. Mid-tempo grind “Finding Consistency in the Fourth Quadrant of Eternity” decorates a short descending stairstep riff with mystical clean tone swirls and passages of lamenting clean vocals before dropping into a deeply satisfying groove in its final stretch. Lead single, album centerpiece, and longest track “The Untimely Fruit of the Unsaid” is like discovering an ancient city after a long march: heavy mileage from an extremely satisfying riff that evolves as it goes, unearthing wonders both technical and melodic. “Golden Chains for the Construction of Individual Greatness” is a pummeler, highlighted by a central moment of blissful liquid calm that reappears at its end, and a screaming, ascending solo. 

As they weave scenes of violence, woe, and the mysteries of existence, Eximperitus are lifted by some truly excellent production. Meritoriousness of Equanimity sounds crisp without sounding clean or processed, crunching guitars sawtoothed on one end with surprising depth beneath. A profusion of solo and clean tones add color, and the bass is hefty but ripples brightly when it stabs upward for accent. The drums in particular sound fantastic, with a nice popping snare as their star, and though they don’t dabble in it until the final track, the symphonic keyboard effects are compelling in bringing the album to an enormous, epic conclusion. 

The thing that impresses me the most about Eximperitus is their ability to “disguise” the technical aspects of their playing behind immersive songwriting and atmosphere. No track on this record feels overly complex, and yet a keen ear tells you there’s a wealth of intricate, demanding playing in nearly every moment, and the riffs and themes develop so deftly that at times it’s easy to miss that they’ve transformed as if by magic. That mood, the brooding arcane mystery and impenetrable mysticism of the occult, the sense of feeling insignificant and half real next to a monolith inscribed with unknowable symbols: that’s what the listener walks away with in their head. Twisting, soaring solos, crunching chugs and tight angular riffs, guttural chesty roars, driving double bass, steely bass jabs, grooves and assaults alike: all are in service of the atmosphere, and it’s mesmerizing. 

THE BOTTOM LINE

So yeah, I admit it wholeheartedly: Eximperitus are a great band, and Meritoriousness of Equanimity is a hell of an album to boot. I’ve been missing out—I guess that’s what happens when you judge a book by (the outlandish title on) its cover—but no more, and now it’s my duty to make sure you don’t make the same mistake I did. Fire up this record on January 30 and be prepared to leave this earthly plane for a place far more ancient and strange.