Cuba doesn’t automatically conjure up images of blasphemous and malevolent black metal but there is a band which has been plying its trade, cultivating and polishing its black arts deep within the black metal purgatory and this Chthonic duo go by the moniker of Narbeleth. Narbeleth are an ever-growing band from within the confines of the Cuban boundaries, one which has been simmering away and growing in notoriety and respect from the dark days of the ‘Dark Primitive Cult’ demo in 2009 to the last full-length affair ‘Indomitvs’ in 2017.
The duo of Narbeleth with patriarch and flag bearer Dakkar, and Vindok hammering the skins since 2017, have proven a mature growth in their stature with this latest release. It has a sophistication and development beyond its natural years and the core of the album is one of malice and spite.
The tracks are overflowing with passion and dedication. Vocals are spat out with raucous intensity and raw intent and there is a definite Nordic coarse crudeness to the whole genetic makeup of each track. There is an absolute bitter and frost ridden undertone to the strings and the percussion is drilling and commanding with each beat that flows through your soul.
Highlights on the album have to be in the form of ‘Gates Of The Beyond’ and ‘The Boiling Blood’ from the debut release of Norwegian black metal entity ‘NettleCarrier’. ‘Gates Of The Beyond’ is complete power amongst its album siblings. It delivers with the ferocity and muscle which lets it sit head and shoulders above the other tracks on the album. The vocals seem to have more hatred and viscousness attached to them and this seems to encourage the other facets of the track to be even more vile in order to not get lost in the riotous aural onslaught. ‘The Boiling Blood’ lets the album showcase another angle to this black metal deliverance, and to really add a special full bloodied take on this track the duo have invited Amalia, the bands live bassist, to punctuate and bolster the track with extra power and brawn. A fitting, dynamic and forceful end to an accomplished package.
The latest sacrifice from this blasphemous duo needs to be added to your metal collection without further delay, then sit back, light some black candles and immerse yourself in this truly raw, blasphemous and technical offering.
(8.5/10 Phil Pountney)
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