SPELLCRAFT - Stirpe Obscura CDGrotesque Productions
This Spanish band sent me their 2007 four song demo/promo a few weeks ago and I liked it enough to go online to their label and get the full length. Note to all bands out there I rarely will do such a thing especially if you're from overseas and I'm trying to meet a fucking deadline. Now with all that said the main reason why I jumped through a few hoops to get this was because SPELLCRAFT prove that there's exceptionally great Black Metal from all over the globe. It all depends where you look for it. Or in their case it came in my mailbox. Big surprise here is that four of the cuts on their full length are also on the demo. No problem because those four plus the other three on this release make up for a great release.
The main reason I like this is that SPELLCRAFT are not part of this "innovation" bug which has invaded Black Metal over the past few years. Which in my not so humble opinion has had a diluting effect on the genre's greatness. Their sound is traditional mid-nineties era blasphemy which is always going to be a bent page in my black and burnt book of favorites. By no means is this "paint by the numbers" type shit either. They're from Spain not Los Angeles. It's taking the weathered template of heathen hell spawned Black Metal and putting their own personal touches to it. To me this band is Spain's answer to GORGOROTH and as far as I know they're not banned from anywhere yet.
The songs on Stirpe Obscura have a way of holding the listener in a cold vice grip. You can't just drop this dink into the stereo and go about your business. Or in my case try to write a review while listening to it play in the background. The songs are crafted with so much complexity. Your listening one moment to something fast and melodic for a moment then the cut dives into an atmospheric well. On other songs the opposite is in full swing. The release opens with a decent barrage of drums, riffs and vocals from cords that have to be in pain. The cut subsides about three quarters of the way through as the vocal "howls/moans" drift away we're left with a short acoustic guitar ending. The riffs come from the dual guitars of Murcilag and Aldromk. They create a wave of noise that seems to grow continuously into a mighty beast. And yet the production on this release seems to hold both six string maniacs in check. It feels like you're being held over the abyss but at that most excruciating second they refrain from sending you over. SPELLCRAFT has put human torture to music.
Speaking of being tortured the rhythm section on here is solid punishment. Unlike many of their counterparts here in the U.S. it doesn't have that artificial feel. Even though the piledriver like precision going on is inhuman to say the least. If you have a splitting headache then Stirpe Obscura is not the release you should be playing in order to comfort your nerves. Although because I'm a corrupt bastard I blasted this one morning because I heard the upstairs neighbor come home around 4 AM. Since his nocturnal actions ruined my slumber I just decided to return the gesture at 7 AM. I'm sure he loved the vocals by Midgard as well. Midgard uses a mixture of cold rasps, eerie long winded moans and clean vocals throughout this release. Each vocal style is just as hostile as the other and never repetitive.
On the whole the nation of Spain has a contender in the ugly wide world of Black Metal supremacy. Or at least a member of the Extreme elite whose shadow dwelling counterparts should all be proud to welcome into the fold. Strangely enough SPELLCRAFT have been around for a decade and this is only their second full length. Obviously after listening to this for a few days continuously it's easy to see that the band was not in a rush. For those of you who like your Black Metal with an attention for deadly detail then this is one for you to have. I'll be surprised if they don't lay in obscurity much longer. If the larger record labels are still on the hunt in 2009 for Black Metal acts which are at least interesting then they should be looking towards Spain for SPELLCRAFT.
www.grotesquemusic.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment