I think it’s fair to say that Ireland’s death metal dark horses, or dark werewolves even, Vircolac take their time in releasing music. This is their second full length, after 2019’s dark but insightful ‘Masque’. They play death metal that leans heavily towards the dark and dank old school approach but that really is only half the story as their approach is so much more.
For example, the opening track ”The Lament (I Am Calling You)’ begins with clear, unaccompanied mournful female vocals with sublime enunciation from guest Sarah McQuillan, an almost subliminal background sound slowly rising to leave a feeling of real horror. And then the title track bursts the doors. This is their lovely, heavy, loose (but never sloppy) sound; the antithesis of bright, technical death metal but still awash with tempo shifts, moments of eerie melody and doom qualities. And an atmosphere so dense it demands that you listen.
‘Unrepentant’ begins with utter belligerence; hamming beats that roar out into a dark clanking speed. The vocals snarl and bite, the bass rides the drum beat waves with dexterity and the guitars seem to veer in and out in a fearsome attack of riff and scampering runs. There is something so primal to this sound; dark, echoing horror and malevolence a shocking amount of intellect behind the shifts and the arrangements. Their ability to use this thick, seemingly heads down no nonsense style and yet weave so much variation into it is astounding. But it is never too much.
‘Our Burden Of Stone On Bone’ begins like Of Spire & Throne; dense sludge that knows the impact of a quiet, held moment before the riff descends and an unstoppable head of black steam is built up. It rumbles, it pulses and it pushes into you like some rough-hewn beast. When pure speed is needed it has it in hand and somehow remains in control of the chaos. A brilliant song.
‘All Comes To Pass, Nothing Shall Remain’ proves that technical never has to be clean, or bright. That thick black runs and notes can require equal musical dexterity and still wade knee deep in the darkness. And when the melody slips out it stabs so much deeper. Hubris creates pain….
‘Reflection’ has echoes of old, old Celtic Frost and a moment or two of an almost punk taste to a riff as a fine, atmospheric metal melody weaves above it.
And the epic closer ‘She Is Call Me’. A haunted opening, a woman crying out in a demand to be heard, a superb old school death metal riff dripping with horror. It has surprising hooks too, dark local legends in its words. Imagine Hellripper playing death metal and you might be close, possibly. The guitar sound here is just inescapable, the vocals grab you by the head and shake you to attention.
Damn but this is just absolutely enthralling. Vircolac have held my attention since their first EP but ‘Veneration’ is their best work so far. It is steeped in horror, in darkness, in primal death metal but done with such masterful weaving of arrangements and style without for one moment being anything but death metal. The musical equivalent of being in the presence of a masterful seanchai.
Two months in and I already have the feeling I have just heard the death metal album of the year. Just stunning work.
(9/10 Gizmo)
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