ALBUM REVIEW: Reverence to Paroxysm – Lux Morte (2023)

Reverence to Paroxysm – Lux Morte

Mexico

Dark Descent Records / Vomit Records / Me Saco Un Ojo Records

 

2023 continues to churn out endless ever-amazing ‘finds’, even though we are just past the first quarter of 2024. Reverence to Paroxysm comprises dudes also serving time in other Mexican extreme metal bands like Blood Reaping, Castleumbra, Hacavitz, Apocalipsis etc., and I am limiting the listing to bands that are still in! These days, I would hesitate to use the term ‘supergroup’ or ‘project’; RTP should be regarded instead as yet another facet of their musical identities. 

I admit I was immediately drawn to this album by way of, yes, the super cool band name and album cover (and without having heard a note). Like my friend Alden also noted, the artwork/design has a pretty black metal or DSBM feel and look about it. The music/performances therein could not be further from DSBM. This is monstrous, hulking yet exquisite death metal rooted in OSDM but with a very pronounced incorporation of doom and frosty black metal aesthetics. One review I read quite correctly referred to Lux Morte as “atmospheric death metal”. The atmosphere however, does not refer to anything misty mountainous and Cascadian; more a cold, dark, murky swamp or forest wetland with dense choking fog. From which, Swamp Thing-style beasts emerge to drag you under the waterlogged soil, decaying leaves and branches etc.,……….WWWUUUUUURRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

The drumming here really stands out; fluid almost-jazzy but metal through and through, just like how Bill Ward’s swing served as foil to the heavy-thick guitars on the first six Black Sabbath albums. And finally, the part that nails it for me is the sampled monologue (from a film or documentary) at the start of the sixth and final track, “Care Data Vermibus”:

“…...my mind is going; I can feel it………...
I can feel it……………There is no question about it.”

Hence, my friends, surrender yourselves unto the dark night of the wwwuuuuurrrrggghhh!!! (Unkle Superion) 

Album review: Vircolac - Masque (2019)

Vircolac - Masque

Ireland

Dark Descent Records

Vircolac play an abrasive style of death metal with subtle hints of thrash and black metal. Their sound leans mostly to the old school, but occasionally flirts with modern elements in terms of riffing and the way the songs are structured. Fortunately, the result is quite cohesive and pleasant to listen to. I'm a fan of the throbbing bass sound and the fact that it's audible – it adds a menacing tone to the mix. The vocals are quite upfront, aggressive, and well implemented. Collectively, every member brings something to the table, and you can tell these guys took their time crafting these songs considering the excellent quality of the music. The focal point of this album must be without a doubt the riffs, as they are very pleasant to listen to and often plunge into more experimental territory without becoming overbearing. "Masque" is an album that should appeal to a multifarious fanbase ranging from black metal, death metal, to even war metal. “Masque” is a solid entry from Ireland and I would recommend it to anyone into the rotten and demented side of death metal. For fans of: Morbus Chron, Lantern, Chapel of Disease. (HT)