Menacing and magnificent…
Released through Sepulchral Voice Records (website; Bandcamp; Facebook) on 31 October 2016 and reviewed by Jason Guest
Vircolac’s debut demo Codex Perfida (reviewed here) cast a deep and dark shadow on its release in December 2014. Violent and savage from beginning to end, it turns out that the haunting bone-breaking riffs, decimating drums, echo-laced venomous vocals and shady atmospherics of that incredible release were a potent portent of what has manifest itself in The Cursed Travails of the Demeter, their first official EP. Four tracks, 26 minutes, black, bleak, brutal, it’s a phenomenal piece of work. Dense and intense, the atmosphere of the EP is of evil spirits battling for possession of your unearthly soul, the sound is of demons devouring your still-twitching cadaver, and the weight is of monolithic magnitude. Each track plotting compelling and crushing arcs, Vircolac’s musicianship and song-craft is at the fore and always impressive. Menacing and magnificent, one for the ‘Best of 2016’ list.
9 out of 10
Track list:
- The Cursed Travails of the Demeter
- Charonic Journey (Stygian Revelation)
- Lascivious Cruelty
- Betwixt the Devil and Witches
