Album review: Velka - Purgatori Ignis Ludicium (2022)

Velka - Purgatori Ignis Ludicium

Spain

Base Record Production / Necromance Records

Hailing from the Basque Country (sovereign region in Spain), Velka is an autonomous black metal band and “Purgatori Ignis Ludicium” is their debut album released by Base Record Production & Necromance Records.

The band may refer to their music as black metal, and that’s fair enough considering the overt amount of blasphemous riffs and evil feeling that prevails in their music, but the ferocity they exude also brings to mind extreme black/death by way of old Belphegor, or fast-paced black metal like Impaled Nazarene or Handful of Hate. Musically, Velka is its own entity, and they deliver a strong performance full of power, energy and musicianship to rival with the best.

The first track, “Eternal Hate Awakens”, is a nine-minute stomper that opens this album in brutal fashion, with lightning fast drums, muscular riffs, and vocals that alternate between aggressive rasps and menacing growls.

The rhythmic guitars carry the music, while the drums are nifty and add a good deal of variety. The vocals are perfectly balanced in the mix – not too loud, nor too soft. A mixture of morbid melodies and sledgehammer brutality fills the show with high-octane energy and pure raw rage.

Despite its seven tracks, the average track is about 7-8 minutes long, assaulting the listener with a non-stop barrage of hellfire and brimstone, which is similar to Vital Remains when it comes to lengthy compositions, but in Velka's case, they offer enough variety to keep the listener interested, coupled with an energetic performance and unpolished production that add to the enjoyment of this album. The music itself is pretty straight-forward, although honest and free of gimmicks.

The searing intensity of the music is unquestionable, with a heavier than thou attitude sweeping throughout the album. Considering it's Velka's debut album, it's a solid effort. (HT)