Chamber Of Unlight have unleashed their latest opus, ‘Realm Of The Night’, and it is a mesmerising cacophony of grandiose synth, pounding string work, punishing percussion and ravenous vocals, a truly crushing aural attack on your tympanums.
From ‘Premium’ to ‘Uncelestial Light (The Chamber)’, the tracks punish you with every beat and every chord and they beat you with vigour and intent in order to punish you in the most brutal of fashion.
Chamber Of Unlight’ was spawned by Necrosis, a somewhat veteran of the Finnish underground black metal landscape. The addition of Kassara, a drumming machine, also of somewhat illustrious notoriety, only added to the talent held within the ranks of this evolving band, and this talent is visible with every beat and every chord pouring out of your speakers.
Keys are used throughout, at well measured intervals, in order to create atmosphere and seduction. The power generated at the hands and feet of Kassara is somewhat exhilarating, generating precision and brutality in equal measures. The rest of the facets land at Necrosis’s door, and land they certainly do. The vocals are raw and sinister, venomous and malicious, each lyric is spat out with dedication and pure unadulterated raw energy.
The six strings are delicate and harmonic, they conjure up riffs which are so enigmatic and frenetic they dissect all the chunky bass lines and drum scores with ease. The riffs accompany the vocals in unity, and they dictate and command each word to project itself with the same passion and elegance that they are exhibiting.
Mid album comes the two highlights of the release for me. ‘On The Path Of Thy Shadow’ and ‘From Grey Tombs’ are absolute diamonds in the so called rough. Polished and glinting with such sparkle I would challenge any one to succumb to them and not be mesmerised. The deeper tones of the bass and drums create a pulsating heartbeat which wouldn’t look out of place pounding out of the chest of the antichrist himself. ‘From Grey Tombs’ sees the vocals step it up a notch and really carve us open to some dirty and coarse lyrical work. The words are delivered to you with clarity and meticulousness, yet they are so raw and pure they summon and invoke images which wouldn’t look out of place south of heaven.
As much as this release is early in the life of these Finnish metal demons, it feels as if it should be 5 albums, even perhaps 10 years, into their journey, it is that mature and developed.
All in all, if you like your black metal raw and powerful, I’m warning you, do not overlook this release.
(8/10 Phil Pountney)
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