Ars Veneficium "The Lurking Shadow of Death" (Immortal Frost Productions, 2024) To Belgium we fly, shall we? Easily would hop on a plain and indulge myself in all those amazing beers they have. These lads truly know how to craft beautiful Trappists. But music is the subject of today’s writings. Ars Veneficium, former quintet and now reduced to founding members Ronarg (Antzaat, Bloedmaan, Ronarg) and Surtur (Immortal Frost Productions, Hammerstorm). “Usurpation of the Seven”, their last LP was released in 2020, and it was “just” the confirmation that their sound is very solid and a guarantee of excellent Black Metal. What mostly struck is how reminiscent of old melodies their sound is. Ars Veneficium is, at heart, a Melodic Black Metal band, but the overall melody is immense! I dare say this is their best album to date, and that is saying a lot, considering their previous releases. At times you get a 90ies feeling, completely a 90ies feeling. The melodies are never c