Let’s get straight to it, this is not for the faint hearted. This is complex, dissonant and claustrophobic. It is jarring, angular and raw. At its core it is post black metal, but it sits very much at the harsh end of the spectrum, and for good measure it has a healthy dose of hardcore attitude running in its veins. Sound interesting? Good, then keep reading because this is also pretty impressive!

Occulta Veritas is the solo project of Daniele Vergine, who has his “day job” as a guitarist with Turin’s Noise Trail immersion, and this project gives him chance to delve even deeper into the dark side of the human psyche.

Opening track ‘The Mirror Stage’ is dominated by piercing shrieks which aren’t so much vocals as a terrifying additional layer to the sound. These juxtapose with the simple yet effective melody that runs through the heart of the eight-minute track, until things strip back and a haunting melody comes to the fore, providing respite after the initial onslaught while maintaining a sinister undercurrent. This sets the tone for the album with harsh sections broken up by quieter passages, albeit with a constant prevailing malevolent tone, and rather than try to break this album down into stand-alone tracks, it is perhaps better to consider it as one piece of music.

‘Irreducible Fear of the Sublime’ is not an easy listen, but neither is it intended to be. It is confrontational, dense and challenging. It is all encompassing as it drags you under its dark, heavy tomes but it is also thought provoking as the music leads your mind to its darkest corners. It won’t be for everyone, but for those who veer towards the more sinister end of post black metal, this is likely to be a joy to behold.

(7.5/10 Andy Pountney)

https://www.facebook.com/OccultaVeritas

https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/irreducible-fear-of-the-sublime