All reviews written, originally, for Black Metal Daily.
Mons Veneris – “Torches of Entrancement” (Signal Rex, 2022)
We are not halfway through the year and the Portuguese Black Metal scene has shown us why it is one of the strongest, today. It is a pleasure, as you probably have read before in my writing, to be able to admire the quality of our Artists. Be it a Raw Black Metal, or a more Melodic Black Metal, Portuguese Black Metal musicians are a very particular breed. With that being said, we welcome one of the biggest names in the Portuguese scene: Mons Veneris is back. Using “biggest” I am far from including the Musician, and his Art, in any sort of megalomaniac sphere of Black Metal, where all is mainstream… and acceptable, and neat, and “by the book”. Mons Veneris has taught us well; we have been programmed to expect the unexpected from this mate. His Music is not linear, and after years of not being able to “dilute myself” into his Mind, I have come to terms with how he operates, and am now saluting the man for his efforts. The genre asks for its barriers to be broken; just break them… but do not lose sight of the principles, the basis on which the sound was crafted, and perfected. I know how this sounds, and I can take the heat, the name calling, whatever; is it an elitist perspective of the genre? It might… Forget about it and listen to my words.
Even when I was unable to understand Mons Veneris in its total extension, I was always capable of appreciating the atmospheres he created. The haunting sounds – and scents – that emanate from the man’s work, are remarkable. It sounds old, you know? it resembles the first times listening to Ulver, for example, and questioning how, and where, that was recorded. Not that Mons Veneris sounds like Ulver, but the warmth, the rough sound, sensing that it has very little – if any – post-production, and the honesty one can extract from the man’s qualities, that are offered to us in the form of Music. This 2 song EP is, again in my opinion, a very good example of the 2 sides of the Man: The Black Metal Side; The Ambient / Atmospheric Side. They have a very good relationship, as we have seen throughout the years (since 2003, and counting), and we see him take his experimentation further and further. Only he can risk some of these steps, not fearing what the people might say. I dare say he does not care about the people; and why should he? “(A Torch) …” is Mons Veneris’ Black Metal facet, at its best. Poignant and rage infested melodies; while “(Entrance) …” is a… a strange experience it is. Abruptum is one of those Bands that come to mind, you know? they were weird, they were risky, they were superb. They went for it in a time where everyone was following the same path. They created a musical perspective that many picked up, and the man behind the name Mons Veneris did the same. What is it?
Some will say that they understand where the
Artist comes from; some will fringe and go back to their Black Metal albums
that do not force you to think, to listen to more than once and go deep into
what you have in front of you. Now this might sound elitist, but I have always
looked at Mons Veneris as an experience, more than just Music, and I believe
the man behind it has the same opinion. May he correct me if needed. As a
conclusion: there is always a sense of pride in seeing an Artist with which you
can relate, a country fellowman, reach this level of Creativity and Musicality.
May we all Feast under these Dark Clouds.
Black Cilice – “Esoteric Emanations” (Iron Bonehead, 2022)
Portugal, nation that opened path for others to follow. Yes, it does sound cocky, doesn’t it? It was meant to be cocky. But we did not gather here today to be cocky; we gathered here to talk about Black Metal and Portugal. We have mentioned, plenty of times, the shifting in Black Metal paradigm – or at least for a while – in terms of geography, mostly, so it is with no surprise that Portuguese musicians are being recognized, on a larger scale, by the overall Black Metal public. Black Cilice is probably one the best-known cases in Portuguese Black Metal, which is saying a lot, given the quality of our Black Metal. Black Cilice is very well known for its ability to craft a sound that lives within the ruins of the genre. How come? Well, he builds this wall of sound, but underneath he hides this delicate melody. “Channeling Old Power” has this amazing guitar riff I would love to hear without the “noise” that is all over it. You know what I mean with noise, right? Does this take away any grams of quality from the music, and that specific riff, on that particular song? Not at all. I risk say it enhances the experience.
I have always seen this more primitive and raw approach to Black
Metal as a search for the melody. I have mentioned to friends, in the past,
that the most beautiful thing about this approach to the genre is searching for
that hidden in plain sight melody. Sometimes the Lo-fi style obstructs the way
to the core of the tune, and we need to dig deep to discover that black,
haunting, molding center. This sounds very poetic and whatever, but it is a
perspective in the end. Black Cilice is one of those cases, slightly different
from Mons Veneris, for example, that flies away with atmospheres and
ritualistic chants, while Black Cilice is on a ritual of its own. Comparing
both acts? Never. Using one to describe the other? Perhaps. Sometimes I have
some difficulty in putting it into few words, as it is an experimentation that
cannot be reduced to a few words; Black Cilice’s Black Metal breaks barriers
and stigmas; the Artist behind Black Cilice enhances the experience of the
sound… and going back to “Channeling Old Power”, mostly because it was the
track that struck me the most, it is a beauty! The guitar riff, the drums, the
vocals! The Artist does not put it simple; he forces the listener to crawl and
crawl, cut through the rubble and the destruction, only to see himself within
this sphere of contemplation. And what does the listener contemplate? The
wonders of Music. I truly believe that the Artist that goes by the name of
Black Cilice is one of the most relevant musicians in today’s Black Metal
scene, period.
Corpus
Christii – “The Bitter End of Old” (Immortal Frost Productions, 2022)
It is not easy to create a legacy. It takes time, and a consistency that some cannot achieve. Being relevant, time and time again, is a challenge. Corpus Christii, led by Nocturnus Horrendus, is an example of perseverance and struggle. The years of going against the tide, forcing the boundaries, always staying true to the reasons that led him to create the band. The multitude of projects he created, in and outside of Black Metal, are a testament of such qualities. But the band is, not anymore, Nocturnus alone. At his side he has J. Goat, a Portuguese musician that is, as well, in a variety of projects (live and studio). All this diversity translates into a complex sound, structured by various layers and “textures”. “Delusion”, the band’s previous record, early on showed musicians that were not afraid of risking. Well, if you look through Nocturnus musical career you can easily see that creative fear is something that does not exist here. It might sound a bit cliché, but I hold the band’s first record, “Saeculum Domini”, from 2000, as my favorite. It might the raw facet of it, I do not know, but I was only able to feel “possessed” by the band in 2017, with the already mentioned “Delusion” (and this was, and still is, an amazing record). The new one is in line with the preceding one: superb and elegantly built. It has not lost an ounce of Power and Rage; it shows a band that is still very relevant, and this is truly important for me. In a world with so many copy-cats, being relevant is something not all achieve.
I feel CC is not given the importance it holds, to
be honest. Like it or not, CC has taken the Portuguese Black Metal name, far
and far away. One curious, and extremely satisfying detail on this record is
Nocturnus’ performance on “From Here to Nothing”: the (almost) clean singing
hits you hard, and it might surprise you at first, but the more you listen to
it, the more it feels very right; it hits all the right keys, and it makes it a
great track. 38:35 minutes is all it takes to be blown away, honestly. Was I
expecting this from CC? probably not. Did I go into the record with little
expectations? Well, I was expecting something in the line of the previous one,
but as I said: blown away. One thing must be said – and correct me if needed:
Koraxid’s bass and Andrecadente’s drums are remarkable. Both are top-notch
musicians, and they show it here, once again. Words are lacking to describe
NH’s journey since he first started out with Noctu, in 1996. The man has
traveled for miles, to achieve this point, and I truly feel he does not get the
deserved recognition, especially from his countrymen. Consider this the rant of
an almost old grumpy man, please. Musically speaking, hell of a record, in all
senses. Thank you, gentlemen.
Corpus Christii Official Bandcamp
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