AdamusI have to say, before I listened to this cd, I first looked these guys up and found this quote on metal Archives; “Adamus Exul are strictly apolitical, performing and promoting misanthropic and anti-social black metal art forms only”   I think I’ve found my new favourite band already!

All joking aside, you’ll be interested to know the band is from Australia! And only before releasing one self titled demo and an album; ‘Death, Paint a Vision’ in 2010. Now in 2014 they’ve released another full length Arsenic Idols so let’s see what’s been plated up for offer.

There’s an impressive dark intro with the first track ‘Discordant Rebirth’ and the beautifully insane screams that goes with it are priceless! As the howling and screams continue, in come the clearer (not by much) vocals, sounding a little like Satyricon but much more. Yes, brutal!  Moving on is second track ‘Arsenic Idols’, the screams in this are just insane! The drum rolls are nothing but spectacular and as for the guitars? Wow! And then there’s the deep, grungy and full of gut wrenching bass lines! A blinding start!

I do like ‘Veins Ov Drought’ with its almost cult feeling at the beginning, the slow drumming and rolling guitar riffs then, in with some ravenous heavy beats and screeching screams that could beat anyone’s long nails dragged down a blackboard! The track oozes originality I’m almost thinking some sort of predatory beast has taken over the music half way through and this is me writing sober! Brilliant stuff. Cleverly carrying on with the same music then morphing into a new track is ‘The Devastation Archives’. The bass on this one stands out the most, and the vocals are more old school than old school!

A favourite for me is ‘Isolation Wounds (Absolution Obsolete)’ with the blackened, no charcoaled! Intro and the vocals, pure painful Burzum!  Then in with some haunting violin and what sounds like choking, then the heaviness again but this time with more hate and fury. It’s nice to hear the passion through the vocals. You know this bloke loves it!

Ending on ‘Artistic Extinction: Innovation via Desecration,’  a classic soup of  growling, drum rolls what sounds like puking and of course those finger bleeding riffs.

Black metal fan? Go buy!

(7/10 Charlene Rance) 

https://www.facebook.com/AdamusExulband