Portugal’s Raw Black Metallers ANCIENT BURIAL have their debut album ready to wreak havok and misery upon the underground. Set for release via Signal Rex on May 1st.
Creepy sampling chimes in to set an unpleasantly ambient and broodingly dark atmosphere for whatever deranged extremity lies ahead. Blisteringly raw guitars, cold howls and cascading drum assaults draw in with a profoundly unhinged soundscape of malevolent, ancient evil being conjured into sonic form from the onset. The ferociously scathing guitars and drums have a piercingly ominous sound while the hysterical screeching of the vocals blends into the instrumental onslaught gorgeously, giving a crystalline sound that is disturbingly twisted yet also rather soothing in an estranged manner, the sound of pure inhuman malice and devastation in musical form.
The otherworldly ambience of this Black Metal assault is definitely a vicious one, noticeably comparable to fellow Portuguese lunatics Black Cilice. This is certainly a complementary comparison as Black Cilice are one of the finest Raw Black Metal bands on the planet, at least to my ear. Aside from the churned out cymbal driven blasts, a huge part of the sound is the convulsing spearhead of trembling lead guitars that break through the caustic rhythms, giving in an abrasive and textured orchestration for the vocalist to simply howl with totally mighty and spiteful aggression. There is no tranquility to be found here, with this sound being so marvellously upsetting on so many levels, probably due to the quiveringly discordant melodies, something I cannot help but adore.
A consuming listening of hypnotically invigorating darkness that is totally claustrophobic and really gets under your skin. This record is the perfect blend of discordant, haunting, disturbing and visceral, laying waste to all with a pulverising darkness that consumes anything in its path through the means of chaotic, violent and reverberate Black Metal torn from the abyss. With an awe-inspiring and vanquishing shroud of disdain surrounding the bitter instrumental malice and tortured vocals, this makes the groundwork for a fantastic debut Raw Black Metal release. With a typically lo-fi production and passionate delivery overall, this is a brilliant start with hopefully more to come. Until then, make sure not to miss out on some utterly magnificent savagery that is as twisted as can be. -8/10
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