Well here’s something I’ve never had before; a cassette! Well Ok, I get around half a dozen a month for myself due to an addiction to raw black metal and dungeon synth but it’s the first review cassette I’ve had. Luckily my trust Walkman is always on hand.
And second “Well…” is ‘Oh it’s by a nameless Recluse and a concept about a not at all mad Christian saint, Saint Anthony (the Great) beset by demons in the desert in the 3-4th Century as documented by a fervent supporter who may or may not have met him.”
Yeah; not many of the latter. And if you’ve never delved into the early Christian Church, it’s a truly dark and frightening world and well worth having a peek and a fine subject from black or doom metal.
So The Recluse. Helped out by the equally reclusive but genuinely uniquely talented Rulum. A Gate Keeper lending vocals on one track, and a certain Spider God doing some vocals on another.
I know some black metal fans will have turned well away after that. But! Always give things a listen.
And this is worth it.
‘On The Ladder Of Divine Ascent’ opens with slow, thoughtful sounds, channelling the feeling of a quiet retreat in the desert before an utter storm of guitars rip apart the fabric of the world and let the demons in. This is wild, early Emperor tempestuous sounds with a strange but excellent heavy metal riff stepping in at moments. Highly melodic, a pinch of prog but with sharp claws. This is seven odd minutes of a truly excellent blend of black and heavy metal driving on relentlessly, breaking into whirling dust devil dance now and then and dragging me in with fine snarling vocals. Yeah that’s fantastic.
‘On The Veil Of Dark Flames’ begins slow, intoned voices speaking along to picked notes, a lilting dark melody as in the background harsher voices whisper and beckon. The pace increases, the voice cries out torn and tormented and is enveloped in shivering black metal crescendos. There is madness here, the vocals shedding sanity and seemingly drawn into a vortex. A strange and unsettling place with a gorgeous closing passage of black metal, prog and hugely strong hook riddled melody.
‘On The Unseen Warfare’ closes this twenty five odd minute album. Eleven minutes. A slow and ponderous opening, a hint of the ecclesiastical sound but mired in dread. And then another riff to die for; sparkling hooks in the dark tone with exemplary guitar breaks and sliding seamlessly back into the black metal tempest. It descends into a quiet place. Echoing like some underground pool, notes like dripping moisture in a cave. A cry of anger or pain or simply madness fading and reappearing in a different location. Circling. A buzz of electronica steps in, opening the gap once more for the riffs. Momentarily. Then the quiet with little comfort. Haunted. Leaving me with no sense of saviour, only that the demons have gone. For the moment.
This is an excellent first appearance. Intelligent, deft and compelling. Melodic black metal with twists of prog and heavy metal that you really should give some time to.
(8/10 Gizmo)
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