So a long time in the ringer, Cruelty And Corruption has finally seen the light of day just as 2022 comes to a close and it's a heavy duty way to end the year with some crushing groove metal riffs that delve into Lamb Of God, Chimaria, Devildriver and also Fear Factory. The drumming throughout is absolutely brutal, even when they slow things down for the middle section of Desire, the drums are relentless, like an artillery barrage of war-like proportions, A New Trend, too has juxtaposed drumming as their speed counteracts the slower crunching, doomy riffage. Vented are trying to capture that NWOAM sound from the late 90's/early 00's, doing so very well due to members being part of many of these genre-leading bands.
Uncommon Evolution - Fry (Argonauta Records) [Rich Piva]
Deathless Legacy - Mater Larvarum (Scarlet Records) [David G]
Self-dubbed “Occult Horror Metal” (eye roll), Italy’s Deathless Legacy are causing me a bit of a headache if I’m honest. This, their fifth album, is a bit of a blend of quite effective and blunt metal edges, very effective songwriting and flourishes that almost invite a bit of laughter or further eye rolling.
Lead off track Ora Pro Nobis strides those different lines, the chord progressions are orderly and though somewhat trite, still quite effective; the layered vocals are evocative and bewitching, leading the song with assurance leading grandiosity. It's the keyboards that bring the kook, providing overstated organ-like backing that combines with the Latin chanting to provide a cartoonish interpretation of horror. I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing though because if there was a really serious feel about this release it might be a bit off-putting.
Hollow also strides those same lines but a lot less comfortably, staccato quintuplets delivered underneath power vocals of finest eighties balladry, it isn’t terribly unique, but again there is a sense of crafting involved. They just can’t resist the goofy plinky-plonk organ boards in the chorus that are akin to taking a Heart music video and sticking Hammer Horror zombies in the background (and not the ones from the excellent Plague of Zombies).
As you’ve now gathered the Horror part of the band descriptor seems to be largely derived from the keyboard presence, and we’re probably using horror in more an Omen 2 sense. It’s cheesy, daft, at times hilarious, but can also be somewhat adorable too. Let’s be clear, there is nothing remotely Horrific about all of this, this isn’t Diamanda Galas doing Plague Mass, this is good time metal that could probably draw a comparison to Ghost here and there.
The aptly titled Run, a high energy number based around a breathless spider dance on the guitar neck, integrates the atmosphere more holistically and is a jolly good bit of entertainment. More often-than-not though the keyboards are bolted on to more conventionally shaped and well-done tracks, and though that is somewhat frivolous it does something that paradoxically works but doesn't.
I feel like the more I write about this album the less sense I’m making. To put it plainly, Mater Larvarum is over the top. There are the weird steps that are confusing and attention-diverting, but there is also a core that seems resilient, built to withstand what silliness may get thrown at it. Whether the album is likeable because of, or in spite of, the kookiness is hard to pin down, but it’s an experience, that’s for sure. 7/10
Lunar Mercia - Leaving The Fragile Space (Self Released) [Paul Scoble]
Hailing from the home of heavy metal (Birmingham), Lunar Mercia have been making music together since 2018. The four piece, made up of Stephen White on drums and vocals, William Southworth on vocals and guitar, Simon Alexander on guitar and Steffano Bassi on vocals and bass, have released one EP in that time in 2020’s Departing and Adoring, Leaving The Fragile Space is the bands first full length release.Lunar Mercia’s sound is a mix of black metal and post black metal, with some surprising additions. The album is split into 4 songs 3 long 12 to 14 minute songs and one short, but very beautiful shorter track. The album opens with the track On The Veiled Road, which blasts off with some old school Tremolo Picked riffs that are half black metal and half OSDM, the riffs are fast and savage. The track then slows down and some NWOBHM influences come in giving this an early black metal feel.
Next track Sombre Corruption opens with mid-paced riffs that are black metal, but have a bit of a pagan metal feel to them, there is a choppy quality to the riffs. The song then injects some NWOBHM guitar parts into the mix, before the falsetto voice comes in to smooth everything out. The song then goes into vacillating between two distinct sections, one fairly aggressive black metal riffs, again with a pagan feel to them with harsh vocals and expansive sections with keyboards added to the more ethereal guitar riffs, coupled with the clear falsetto voice. These two section swap places a couple of times before the expansive style takes the song to its end.
The Loss is a short section of gentle, clean guitar and the falsetto voice layered to make a beautiful, restful piece of music that should by rights be played in a Cathedral.
Final title track Leaving The Fragile Space has a post black metal sound. The riffs remind me of Deafheaven, and Italian band Falaise, the tempo is relaxed and dreamlike. We get a blast beat that again is far more post black metal than the blasts that have been used so far in the album, coupled with the harsh voice. The song then goes into a full on black metal blast beat, with tremolo picked riffs that are far more like the other blasting on the album, the guitars have a different, harsher sound on this section of the song. The song then changes tack back to the blissful post black metal sound, with maybe a little more aggression than at the beginning of the song, and this feel takes the song and the album to its end.
Leaving The Fragile Space is a great piece of black/post black metal. Musically it is inventive, tuneful and affecting, but the thing that stands out is that falsetto voice and the way the band have melded ethereal religious music together with OSDM and a more modern post black metal sound. Lunar Mercia have produced something that is genuinely original and striking, which is not easy to do these days, the fact that this is the bands debut album makes this even more startling. If this the bands debut, I am very keen to hear whatever they do next. 8/10