Another new name to me. Apparently it means ‘werewolf’ in Romanian but the band themselves are very much an Irish entity and frontman Darragh O’Laoghaire is also head honcho at Invictus Prodctions. Now for the literary amongst you, you will already guess that the title reveals the titular theme of this EP to be based on the doomed ship that brings Dracula ashore at Whitby in the tale by Bram Stoker (an Irishman, in case you forgot). The band have done a couple of demos before I gather but this is their first EP proper.
So what is it? We’ll the blurb said, and I quote, blackened DEATH METAL. Now oddly this usually makes my critical faculties clench up as I have spent too many hours listening to sanitised death metal wittering about Satan in an unimaginative fifty odd minute slab to not be wary. Vircolac however, from the first chord of the opening title track with its grimy, dark and loose downtuned sound is anything but ‘sanitised’ or ‘unimaginative’. This is frankly quite exceptional.
As a touchstone, maybe look back to Autopsy around Mental Funeral and a less frantic Hellhammer. Blacken the edges with a touch of Teitanblood perhaps. But basically this is simply superb primeval, dredged up death metal. There is a wonderful, urgent live sound to this EP; at times it sounds so loose that you imagine the band is two layered slabs of filthy granite sliding apart on a gritty tide of black mud. But of course it isn’t; there is nothing sloppy on show here, not at all. Vircolac have a wonderful rhythm section – superb varied drumming weaving in and out and surging forward with an evil bass sound and gnarled, bog muck coated guitars.
They rumble and crush the listener on ‘Charonic Journey (Stygian Revelation)’ but pile on the tempo changes in an insane-but-weirdly-flowing manner. The lead breaks as the riff falls briefly away, are unsettling and nicely judged. The vocals twisting and full of character. There is variation and songwriting talent running all the way through this EP. ‘Lascivious Cruelty’ has true haunting moments amongst the full on attack and nine minute closer ‘Betwixt The Devil And Witches’ is a slow, creepy, nasty crawl through chanting and darkness.
Honestly, this is just a wonderful, horrible, imaginative and articulate muck raking EP. Filthy, heavy, primal darkness and power. Death Metal indeed.
(8.5/10 Gizmo)
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