On the surface, one might disregard Mexico City's Rituals Of A Blasphemer (originally of Stilwell, Oklahoma) as a band that merely pays homage to the lo-fi, raw spirit of early/mid-nineties Black Metal from Norway – but that would be a mistake. There is more going on here than I initially suspected.
For the discriminating Black Metal elitist asshole (such as myself), there is nothing worse than being constantly inundated with Darkthrone-worshipping basement Black Metal bands. Having said that, I can smell/hear one from a mile away, and avoid at all costs. So, to my surprise (and delight), my initial assumptions about Rituals Of A Blasphemer – which were based on black and white photos of members Lebana and Nocturnus Dominus fully corpse-painted and grimacing – were proven to be quite unfounded.
The band has something quite special, and that becomes increasingly apparent throughout their debut album “Mors Inumbratus Supra Spiritus”, released via Unholy Vision Records.
The first track, “Chaos Consumed Existence”, kicks off immediately with a simultaneously raw and emotional riff that actually IS quite reminiscent of Darkthrone circa 1992, but evolves into something else fairly quickly, with the powerful and tormented screams of vocalist Lebana lending a new, fresh dimension to the mix.
Generally, I am wary of female vocalists in metal, as they are often either just terrible or simply “passable”, but rarely as good as their male counterparts. In the case of Rituals Of A Blasphemer, however, Lebana is the exception to the rule. She dominates the vocal position and demands attention with authority and intensity as well as or better than any man could, while forcing her misanthropic, traditionally-Satanic message into your psyche at knife point (figuratively speaking).
A bit later in the same opening track comes some excellent lead guitar work courtesy of Nocturnus Dominus. Quite surprising, but not at all unwelcome. Generally, guitar solos have no place in raw black metal. But then again, black metal is not limited by anything other than those who place limits on themselves.
As the principal composer and musician in the duo, Nocturnus understands the formula, seems to know how to achieve what he wants, and adds his own essence to the traditional Black Metal style, making something personal and unique without straying too far from the essentials.
Not only is it nice to find an obviously experienced and competent musician who plays this raw style of music (not simply because it is all he is capable of, like so many others), but I especially appreciate that the solos he chooses to implement are not there just to show that he has chops. They really add to the composition and atmosphere of the song, and that seems to be the point with everything RoaB does on this album. It truly is all about the music and message, and with that as your focus, you can never go wrong.
The rest of the record adds layer upon layer of equal parts hostility and melancholy in very captivating and genuine ways. Think Carpathian Forest meets Satanic Warmaster, with something else untouchable that is entirely unique. For instance, comparing the short-but-sweet “Perverse Ritual Fucking” with the albums title track “Mors Inumbratus Supra Spiritus” reveals the impressive range of this excellent debut from Rituals Of A Blasphemer.
FINAL VERDICT: Buy or Die!
The album is available for purchase from the bands official website, and directly from Unholy Visions official website as well.
Preview it in it's entirety on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00gLHOdjYRc
For more information on Rituals Of A Blasphemer:
Official Website: http://ritualsofablasphemer.yolasite.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ritualsofablasphemerofficial
Unholy Vision Records: http://unholy-vision-records.yolasite.com/
SUPPORT THE TRUE BLACK METAL UNDERGROUND!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment