Album review: Muert - Ye Canariae Abezan (2017)

 

Muert - Ye Canariae Abezan

Italy

Hammerheart Records

 

“Ye Canariae Abezan” is the third album by Canarian warmongers Muert and was released in 2017 by Hammerheart Records on both CD and 12" vinyl. For those who don’t know, the Canary Islands is an autonomous region of Spain (politically, not geographically) near the coast of northwest Africa, with the easternmost island (Lanzarote) being only 80 kilometres from Morocco and the closest part to Spain being 2000 kilometres. Apparently, the artwork of this album is a historical reference and depicts the battle of La Matanza de Acentejo, in which the indigenous people repelled the Spanish troops in 1494.
 
One of the pros of this album is that the music is anything but formulaic, as each song offers a different listening experience with various tempos and arrangements that keep the listener interested until the last note. In fact, I was constantly curious as to what the band would pull out of the bag next. That being said, try not to misconstrue what I said by thinking that this is some kind of weird “prog” album. On the contrary, this is bestial black/death conceived in the murky landscapes of its environment, adding their own unique flavour to the subgenre with indigenous elements and influences. The title, for example, translates to "The Canarian Darkness," with "Abezan" meaning "darkness" in the language of the Canarian natives.
 
The band mixes it up nicely, as can be heard in the track “Acentejo 1494”, which perfectly alternates between a face-stomping thrash riff to a morbid black metal riff with absolute finesse. The thrash influence in the compositions is undeniable and a testament to their old-school roots. On tracks like “Crueldad desde islas Canarias,” the band clearly shows their penchant for traditional metal, as the song begins with a lead that oozes epic heavy metal and lasts only a few seconds before being obliterated by the cryptic onslaught of death. There are plenty of headbanging moments on this album, even bordering on “fun” (depending on how you look at it), but make no mistake, this is dark and aggressive music of the highest calibre, made by maniacs for maniacs. I mean, you have songs like “Of Corpses, Evil & Drinks...” which is an obvious ode to metal and may even have been inspired by the great Sarcofago (“Sex, Drinks and Metal”). Apparently, the song is about a night at the graveyard that involves profanation, alcohol, and vice. It doesn’t get more black metal than that if you ask me.
 
The umbrella term “war metal” refers to bands that play filthy and bestial metal rooted in bands like Sepultura, Holocausto, Sarcofago, etc. That being said, I can definitely see it applying to the sound of Muert, especially in the way the vocals are performed and in the general antagonism behind the music. The vocalist definitely does one helluva job, as his deep yowls are full of hate, pain and violence, unleashing his cursed lines in every track. The guitar sound also has a slight Swedish undercurrent, reminiscent of early Carnage and Entombed, which once again shows how varied and nuanced the whole album is. On “Ye Canariae Abezan” the band have delivered the perfect blend of black, death and thrash, or “Guanche Black/Death” as they call their music. I highly recommend this masterpiece to fans of bands like Teitanblood, Ascended Dead, and Black Curse. Stand-out tracks: “Of Corpses, Evil & Drinks...”, “and 1.000 momias ”, “Leprocity” (Jim) 

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)

Album review: Orthodoxy – Novus Lux Dominus (2019)

Orthodoxy – Novus Lux Dominus

Spain

The Sinister Flame

Hailing from Spain, Orthodoxy is a four-piece death metal outfit featuring members from bands such as Devotion, Profundis Tenebrarum, and Pestkraft. The band was formerly a solo project and released a relatively well-received 5-track demo in 2015, entitled “Shaarimoth. The release in question, “Novus Lux Dominus,” is their debut full-length and an absolute juggernaut of an album informed by only the darkest and heaviest bands in the realm of black/death metal. An immensely morbid atmosphere permeates this release from start to finish, augmented with the injection of harrowing doom tempos. The ingenious and rotten production adds to the overall feel of the album. It’s clearer than a demo recording, yet rawer than what most bands would opt for on an album. It walks that perfect middle-ground. Using references are effective in giving the reader an idea of a band’s sound, but at the same, also subjective. That being said, I feel like Orthodoxy might just be the death metal counterpart to a band like Vassafor, as both bands have a strong predisposition for ominous soundscapes, as well as infusing a hefty amount of doom in their music. The difference is clearly the genre boundaries, as this leans more towards death than black. Overall, if it is dark and brooding death metal you seek that sounds like it was recorded in a mortuary somewhere in the midst of some bizarre necromantic ritual, then Orthodoxy’s “Novus Lux Dominus” is an absolute essential listen. If death ever had a soundtrack, this would be it. (HT)