One of the joys of music writing is to be blown away by an act you were previously completely unaware of – it doesn’t happen all that often but when it does, it somehow vindicates all the hours of trudging through ‘play-it-safe’ mediocrity that increasingly clutters up the extreme metal scene. So hats off to these Belgians for pulling it out of the bag on their second album ‘Blessed Extinction’ because this is serious, caustic stuff.
They mean business from the off – ‘From the Shattered Skies’ wastes little time in laying down a marker with ominous growling guitar work ushering in the guttural intonations of vocalist Mastema. Then we’re quickly whipped into a clattering whirlwind of hyperactive percussive artillery and scything riffage which sets the tone to come.
The recipe here is pretty simple – there’s nothing ‘post’ or ‘prog’ going on with Cult of Erinyes, nor do they plough the discordance furrow so firmly established by Deathspell Omega and their ilk. No, this is a sound more rooted in the earlier reaches of the second wave, taking hints from Thorns, Immortal and – dare I say it? – even early (i.e. good) Dark Funeral.
It genuinely gets the adrenalin pumping – stickman Baal is able to whip up a real storm behind the kit, driving the songs with fury and momentum – whilst Corvus (responsible for the stringed instruments) must have wrists of steel so relentless is the picking attack. This quality continues as the album progresses – ‘Jibaku’ adds texture with some tasteful, soaring leads and ‘Unspoiled Beauty’ delivers some convincing aggression. So far, so good.
Nevertheless, Cult of Erinyes step the whole thing up a gear for the second half of the album and this is when they really come into their own. ‘Dissolve into the Stars’ is like a meatier Thorns, the guitars lashing the listener with that distinctive minor-key buzzsaw viciousness. ‘Sunken Cities’ meanwhile injects a dose of Swedish-styled melody into proceedings before lurching into Primordial territory with some very Nemtheanga-esque clean singing.
Speaking of which, special mention must be made of both the range AND delivery of the vocals by Mastema. Switching effortlessly from raging scream to throaty roar and stentorian bellow, he is Cult of Enrinyes’ secret weapon. These songs are good, no doubt, but they come to life thanks to this man’s inspired blend of furious delivery and considered placement.
Finishing with the potent one-two of ‘The Vlasov Notes’ (with its spiralling main hook and lashings of ‘Funeral Mist-meets-Darkspace’ guitar work) and the sombre pacing of closer ‘Coda’, ‘Blessed Extinction’ presents a work with little in the way of weaknesses. OK, so there’s nothing spectacularly original about what’s going on here and much of the material owes a debt to someone or other. Nevertheless, when it’s synthesised into such a coherent whole and is realised with such obvious passion and ability, it would be remiss to find fault with this.
No, these guys very much have their own sound – familiar to a degree it may be, but the threads of influence are drawn into a dark, choking sound which is all theirs. Whilst 99% of the black metal community currently lies prostrate in front of the new Watain album, I’d urge you to give Cult of Erinyes a go – if overwhelming, furious yet layered black metal is high on your radar, ‘Blessed Extinction’ will be one of the best things to hit your eardrums for some time.
(9/10 Frank Allain)
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