Despite being their third album, 2024’s Death Devil Magick was my first introduction to these robed and corpse-painted German deities, and I was fairly impressed. It was a bit of an outlier on AOP Records’ mostly more shoegazy and atmospheric black metal stable, being a more traditional black metal style.
And on album number 4, the quartet (Farago – vocals,/guitars, Samael – guitars, Apophis – drums, Thanatos – bass) has done what most bands do this far into a discography: remained consistent in their sound so as not to lose fans, but developed enough for the fans to also be happy with the band’s growth. (We fans are a fickle lot)
One of the very minor changes is that the vocals of Farago have changed just a smidge; they are a little more shouty than raspy, reminding me a little of Nergal’s more recent Behemoth output (listen to the 4th track “Thanatos, Embrace of the Night”), and I think musically that’s also a pretty fair comparison, maybe mixed with a little Watain. It’s black metal, but it’s polished and a little burlier, with some grandiose, ritualistic vibes and a few keyboards and atmospheric segues (i.e., “Lux Fulget”, “Of Stones Sleep and Death” and “The Accuser”- both of which have some excellent piano work).
And while the opener “In Noctem” had me a little concerned – it has one of those ‘drop’ teases, but for black metal)- still, it’s mainly about solid, frosty, 6/8 melodic tremolo-picked riffs. For example, the true opener “Tabula Rasa”, the excellently melodic “Glorification”, and “De Profundis” (where Lethian of Nornír) also adds her traditional raspier black metal shrieks).
Closer “Hypnos, I See you” wraps up the fine affair with a mix of everything on the album’s longest track, and definitely leans into the newer Behemoth sound, and a sound I think Servant does very well.
