I have gained a reputation for reviewing certain kinds of metal, one of them being black metal. While I am a fan of the genre and never stopped reviewing and listening to it when it was labelled problematic by the American music press, I am pretty picky about the black metal albums I have my time to since the majority of it tends to fall along the same lines. The minority of bands who are willinging to experiment and not just default to blast beats are the ones I am looking for, or have gained my trust, so I am willing to check them out, this band from Italy is one of those bands that have gained my trust.
They are often branded as being an industrial black metal band, which is unfounded, though they are willinging to experiment with electronic sounds. This is shown on the opening track. The title track balances deliberate aggression with the more feral need to lash out with speed. Their songwriting style is fairly compact, which plays to their advantage. It is also fairly dark, which you'd expect, but you might be surprised by how many bands lack in this department. They pour on more speed for "Enshrined in Putrefaction".
"The Afterlife" has a more purposeful chug to it, as the vocals scowl with a similar venom. They cram a great deal into the first minute of the song. I was hoping "Creatures of the Night " would be a Kiss cover but it's not. Instead, it is driven by a flurry of blast beats and double bass. Also lyrically, they are not afraid to delve into things with a sexual nature, as that is something you do not hear in metal much anymore no matter the genre. They gallop into more typical black metal, as this album does not draw as heavily from the electronic atmosphere,it is made more obvious on "Crescendo of Demise".
Samples and creepier sounds help "Altar of the Lacerated " find the needed mood. Though the rapid-fire drums anchor it perhaps too firmly in blackened expectations. They latch onto your throat and do not let go. The last song, "Vaci Natturne," makes up for the lack of experimentation on this album by being just a track of electronic noise. So it's an odd outrorathere thana song. I will give this album an 8.5, not their best but still pretty solid and better than most, it's dark enough for sure. Out September 25th on Avant Garde Music.
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