Aliicide – First Prayer EP (2020)
USA
Independent
Aliicide is a black metal duo from California and First Prayer is their debut EP. There's quite a few variants of black metal nowadays; ranging from orthodox, raw, depressive, atmospheric, etc., – that being said, it's really not difficult for someone to get confused with all these sub-subgenres not thoroughly acquainted with the evolution of the genre. In this case, the band plays a style of black metal that's sort of like an amalgamation of some the above-mentioned styles and it works surprisingly well. The sound here is quite evolved for a first release and emits an ominous atmosphere that brings to mind the likes of Vassafor, Brown Jenkins and Creeping. I can also hear a touch of death metal in the riffs, particularly on the third track Banished. These songs pack a powerful punch and I like the use of samples in the tracks. Overall, this EP is pretty sick, even though there's still room for improvement in terms of finding a voice and evolving their sound. On that note, Aliicide is an interesting prospect that I'll be keeping an eye out for. An auspicious first entry from these guys. (HT)
https://aliicide.bandcamp.com/releases