Melodic, malicious, and brimming in black metal majesty…
Release date: 24 December 2014
Ferocious riffs, brutal drumming, a monstrous vocal, and three tracks that were nothing less than menacing, the Leviaxxis demo released earlier this year (and reviewed here) was an incredible piece of work. With much promised, their debut album Thánatos Áskēsis (“Death Practice”) delivers.
With ‘Consecrated By Light’s ritualistic opening, the veil is drawn slowly back and the ceremonial depths of the album emerge. Following Sektarist 0’s summoning the spirits, black metal ferocity is unleashed and Dysangelium’s place in the ever-expanding underworld is assured. Its melodic riffs cutting, ‘Words Like Flames’ burns brightly, its pace relentless and ruthless. While ‘Obelisk…’ and ‘Chaomega’ remain as strong as they were on the Leviaxxis demo, even though ‘Til Only Thy Light Is Left’ was far from a bad track, tracks such as ‘Aries’ and ‘Murmura’ make it clear that why it didn’t make the cut. But it’s the vicious three-minute blast of blackened ire of ‘Ave Obscuritas Incarna’ and the eight-minute epic ‘I Am The Witness, I Am The Servant’ that best exemplify the band’s capacity as composers of black metal par excellence.
Solid production and solid musicianship, Thánatos Áskēsis brings from the darkness a band with a distinct command over their craft. Bleakly atmospheric and brutally cold, destruction and desolation are unified in nine incredible tracks. Melodic, malicious, and brimming in black metal majesty, 2015 has a lot to live up to.
8.5 out of 10
Read MR’s interview with vocalist Sektarist 0 here
Track listing:
- Consecrated By Light
- Words Like Flames
- Obelisk Of The Sevencrowned Sun
- Chaomega
- Aries
- Gateways To Necromancy
- Murmura
- Ave Obscuritas Incarna
- I Am The Witness, I Am The Servant
