Mesarthim has a much more aggressive approach on the new EP. Although the trace melodies and nebulous electronic effects of past Mesarthim releases are still present, the riffs that open the 21-minute song are much more dire. Tremolo leads drift in and out of cosmic dust to elevate the tension while other guitar flourishes, like interstellar feedback and gravitational divebombs, convey a sense of urgency about our fate. When the electronic elements do rear their heads in the middle of the record, they do so with crushing weight, as if the mysterious cosmic entity behind the project is trying to quantize a cosmic singularity into his music. The Great Filter feels like the next logical step in Mesarthim’s evolution. Although the band has always walked the fine line between atmosphere and metal, the two elements seem even more perfectly poised in a taut drama of eternal significance. The Great Filter sounds like the song Mesarthim has wanted to write all along, severe in its impartiality but beautiful in its majesty.
