Oculus Vacui
"Rites of
the Sabbath"
Dawnbreed Rec. 2022
The Netherlands
is not particularly associated with black metal. Which is not to say that black
metal doesn't exist there. It's also not too much of a mountainous country, on
the contrary. But what does geography have to do with music? In the case of Oculus
Vaciu, which is the first time I've encountered the band, even though this is
the second full-lenght album of this creation, it has a little. At least in the
realm of associations. The gentlemen on "Rites of the Sabbath" (by
the way, in the case of this album, the title is at least misleading) present
two long compositions, which with their atmosphere transport the listener to
landscapes of snow-covered peaks. This is that specific faction of black metal,
which enchants above all with its atmosphere and requires total devotion and
concentration. This is because you won't find catchy riffs or classic picking
in these songs. For almost twenty minutes we are attacked by several looped
melodies, striking with the force of a mountain blizzard, at which one can feel
like a mountaineer, who in extremely adverse weather conditions is trying to
reach his goal. You've probably already guessed that the harmonies on this
album are extremely simple and austere, with steadily buzzing guitar lines,
slightly withdrawn bass, yet engaging with their wintry melody and hypnotic
consistency. Equally consistent on this album are the vocals, piercing through
the musical layer with savage predation, crying out in a uniform, inhumanly
despairing tone, with no unnecessary variety or expression of other tfeelings
than despair, horror, pain.... It must be said that despite their length, both songs
pass surprisingly quickly, as if time was speeding up, and before we realize,
we fall into a deep rift, or ambient passage, crowning both "The Aethyr of
Axziarg" and "Litany unto Mortiis Samealilith." "Rites of
the Sabbath" is not avant-garde or exploratory material. Nor is it a
commercial product. This type of sound is intended only for a narrow circle of
the most ardent maniacs of atmospheric, raw black metal, despising fashion and
elaborate additions. This album is simple. Simple and atmospheric. If that's
what you're looking for in music, plus you value analog media, you'll know
where to look for this tape.
- jesusatan
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