sobota, 28 października 2023

A review of Oculus Vacui "Rites of the Sabbath"

 

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guessed that the harmonies on this album are extremely simple and austere, with steadily buzzing guitar lines, slightly withdrawn bass, yet engaging with their wintry melody and hypnotic consistency.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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