R E V I E W
Flagitium
Year: 2023
Genre: Black Metal
Label: Hidden Marly Production
Label: Hidden Marly Production
Country: Italy
Line Up:
Line Up:
Marcus - vocals
Topz - guitars
Nikosvras - bass
Summum Algor - drums
Cover artwork by Join This Order
"Another hit for the Japanese label Hidden Marly with "Flagitium" by Tenebrae Oboriuntur .
An album even more ferocious than the previous "Black Hysteria", with a strong imprint that refers to the origins of Black Metal; even the choice of the artwork and production is minimal: a booklet of only two pages in black and white, a real blast from the past.
Flagitium is a concept about serial killers, the lyrics are excerpts from their confessions released to police and journalists after capture or before being executed.
The sound is powerful and well-defined, but at the same time it maintains that naturalness we are no longer used to.
Hardware is the first track and we start immediately without compromises, no intro, in a few seconds we are part of an intense sound vortex: frenetic guitar riffs, short pauses and emphasized breaks, and a full-bodied bass that stands out well throughout the album.
We continue with "15 or 16" which has the same structure as the previous one, but with an extra touch of melody, an excellent arrangement towards the end of the piece with a short pause, and the blast beat which restarts impetuously. Summum Algor has given a well-defined imprint to the work by maintaining a drumming that is coherent with the structure of the songs and full of details.
Freshly Slaughtered Raw Meat is characterized by arpeggios with blast beats and articulated slowdowns.
Stones in the C__t is the fiercest song! At times dissonant, with an excellent vocal performance by Marcus, alternating different shades of scream, interprets the lyrics of all the songs with an almost schizophrenic emphasis.
Commute and The Carpet of Cadavers feature short, lilting parts that manage to convey intense brutality.
Des Plaines Sodomy is impetuous, and breathless: little melody in the guitars, and tight and nervous riffs that arouse restlessness.
At the end, Granite-Colored Skull, there's no time to take a breath here either, as soon as you get used to a sensation it's time for a change.
A convulsive album, with a little melody, difficult to digest at first listen; it is clear that the band has not aimed to please the largest number of listeners by making commercial compromises, but
rather it has restored color, or perhaps it is better to say it has removed color, from a genre that is now increasingly devoted to indulging the masses.
Given the frequency with which Tenebrae Oboriuntur releases albums, we expect a new release soon!
