The Swiss have never really done metal in any other way but their own. MATTERHORN fit squarely within that lineage: angular, unorthodox, and entirely disinterested in conventional metal tendencies.

While the country’s legacy in extreme metal is beyond dispute, its present-day subcultural terrain is far murkier. MATTERHORN emerged from this milieu, not as disciples of the old guard, but as products of a contemporary Swiss scene. One wonders how fertile the contemporary underground truly is, and whether peers of a similar temperament are beginning to surface from the same cracks in this modern era.

MATTERHORN: “We are mostly (just a little) involved in the Zurich scene and yes, there is a lot going on locally. You should take a shot on KVELGEYST, TEMPLE OV PERVERSION, DAKHMA, MURGANG or for example, the newcomer band MEGATON SWORD. Zurich is rather a traditional band’s place. Most important are the shows that bring life into the scene, best examples would be the annual ‘Chaos Ritval’ festival, the ‘Krachkarussel’, or the ‘Concilia Nocturna’ shows and those responsible always guarantee the best welcome possible. And check out our drummer’s zine 'Grave Raids Mag'!”

Though their lineage clearly traces back to CORONER, HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST, and other native pioneers, the band’s sound veers far from mere revivalism. The songwriting suggests an instinctive approach that feels wrestled into existence rather than being mapped out to death. A balance of volatility and precision.

M: “We feel like we’ve only just begun to do so. The most natural thing is where our content comes from, we are not focused to deliver a certain product, where all is picture-perfect. Within an instant and momentary thought, all the lyrics emerge, and melody or structures fit or are being made to fit during the process with all band’s members. Speaking of musical influences, it is mostly the attitude or a certain kind of feel that (influences) us and we find that in many different genres. We are thankful for all the music in the world.”

‘Crass Cleansing’ arrives steeped in familiar Swiss hallmarks; Tom G. Warrior-styled vocal contortions, lurching death/thrash riffs, production clearly informed by 'To Mega Therion' yet rendered with sharper clarity, all laced with a strain of madness that feels instinctive rather than performative.

'Violent Success' sets the tone immediately: off-kilter rhythms with classic thrash propulsion, excessive lyricism delivered breathlessly with a grasp of hookcraft often neglected in the genre. That balance of mania and memorability carries through the record.

M: “We are very much into songs that still feel like songs rather than a cluster of unsubstantial effects, what most bands nowadays approach. We hope that all our future songs will be as free form as possible. And of course, we still suck at playing our instruments.”

'Teenage Emperors' channels Frost’s 'Into the Pandemonium' mid-tempo swagger, though the lineage does not end with them. AUTOPSY’s 'Mental Funeral' seeps in at the more deranged turns, while echoes of DREAM DEATH’s 'Journey into Mystery' emerge in the band’s approach to song construction, structural narration infused with riff laden power.

Lyrically, MATTERHORN sidestep the standard metal tropes in favour of something unnervingly closer to social commentary.

M: “What could be more inspiring? There are enough grievous topics like for example all the wasted or suppressed potential of the individual. Every day is hell, we don’t need to stick to imaginary entities just because it is a metal thing, as we don’t play metal-metal. We would like to dedicate our songs to reality and hope that eventually it will work out for us (and good musicians in general haha).”

Having formed in 2012, their eventual debut arrived with a sense of pent-up urgency rather than casual timing.

M: “We started from zero and could not manage our instruments. What we had was the band in its literal meaning, but no playing abilities and we would not get (opportunities) to play any instrument for any other reason than for this band. We did that on our own, and what sounds tremendously stupid and unreflecting is the fact that we were really surprised when we went with our 2017 created songs on our debut album. We were very solipsistic and had no intention to be thrown into the whole rigmarole and suddenly getting compared to other bands and heroes or sharing even stages with them. And now we’re making our lives all about it. It still feels strange.”

Throughout, there are even moments that recall German group WARHAMMER’s 'None So Fierce', at least in spirit. Maybe not as single-minded or primitive, but united in an underground belligerence. Music written to bruise rather than impress. While not as creative or meandering, the underground attitude in the riff writing is certainly in comparison to that of a song like “The Hornhead” or “Tongues of Babel”.

'Crass Cleansing' had a self-funded vinyl release at first, would later be re-recorded and released by Redefining Darkness. 

M: “The reason for this label release is to make ‘Crass Cleansing’ like we would have wanted it from the beginning; to represent the band more precisely, not for money at all, (it is more likely that) we pay extra. Covering some costs would be nice for not failing to ensure the means of subsistence.”

The trio had landed on a tour alongside DØDHEIMSGARD and BÖLZER, a lineup that stylistically is unconventional, yet shares a degree of ideological approach, back in 2019.

M: “We were in touch with D19 already and they inquired us to join the venture, so it finally worked out. DØDHEIMSGARD has always been one of our favourite bands, and we’re friends with BÖLZER, so we’ll be in good company on this run! It is a very big thing for us and we’re the upmost aware of how lucky we are.”

Repeated listens reveal a broader lineage than first impressions suggest. ‘Bydying’ unfolds across seven minutes of tightly controlled shifts, highlighting a far more sophisticated interplay between guitar and bass than typically credited to death/thrash revivalism.

The second bonus track ‘Clarity” stretches past ten minutes without losing its tension, beginning in familiar territory before descending into an extended doom passage where space and restraint take precedence over speed. The vocals remain firmly in HELLHAMMER (whom drummer Tim Tot now plays with in the form of TRIUMPH OF DEATH) territory, but the lyrics hint at something more reflective than mere barbarism and darkness. If this and ‘Bydying’ were intended as signals of a future direction, the trajectory is promising.

As ‘Crass Cleansing’ approached its second anniversary back in 2020, anticipation naturally turned toward the next rupture.

M: “We are working permanently on new songs and will record them in the second half of 2020. Two newer tracks can be heard for now, check out ‘Bydying’ and ‘Clarity’.”

For all its chaos, ‘Crass Cleansing’ is executed with precision. The record is rooted in the old school but played with an uncommon vigilance toward dynamic instrumentation. It lodges itself not through gimmickry, but through force of composition. And while no new material has been released or alluded to, five years on, one can only wait longer.

This post contains interview excerpts originally printed in Flail ov Venom, Issue 2 (Spring 2020).