ALBUM REVIEW: In Æternvm – laCasta

Italy’s LACASTA are one of the more promising bands within the Mediterranean extreme metal underground. Since the release of their debut record, Encyclia, the band have developed a small but respectable reputation for putting out some incredibly caustic, intense blackened hardcore, with their music being severely savage and unflinchingly powerful. Their latest record, In Æternvm, sees LACASTA take their sound to new heights, ramping up the aggression and ferocity whilst simultaneously peppering their music with a few hints at progression, resulting in a dark and monstrous piece of music.

In Æternvm‘s short, introductory title track builds an oppressive and powerful sense of foreboding, with haunting chants adding an epic quality to the proceedings, setting the listener up for the rest of the album before Faith, with its dense and disjointed guitar lines, crashes in as a dense and aggressive track with solid drumming, chaotic guitars and some feral vocals that give this song a fierce, cacophonous sound. Sculptors of a Colossal Failure has a much cleaner sound to start with, but shifts swiftly into a whirlwind of caustic, savage black metal with some great leads and equally interesting vocals. Much like the previous song, it is only brief, but LACASTA manage to make use of the limited time to fill the song with plenty of great hooks and atmosphere.

Vultures makes use of a far more classic black metal orientated sound, with thick power chords, punishing drum beats and a raw production making this song instantly memorable. Towards the song’s closing moments LACASTA throw some great melodies into the mix with a grating, powerful motif and a chanting choir. In silenzio con lo sguardo fisso sul muro goes in a completely different direction, with LACASTA leaning into their hardcore influences far more prominently, although there’s still plenty of black metal added for good measure.

Black Mold is a lengthy, sprawling track which again includes a nod to the albums opener, with grandiose chanting giving this song a monolithic sound right off the bat. With a much steadier and measured pace, the music itself sounds utterly ferocious when it finally kicks in, with massive guitars, bellicose vocals and authoritative drums giving everything a huge sound. The songs second half sees LACASTA move towards the sort of speed driven, anarchic sound that has defined many of the earlier songs on the album, but for the most part this is a monstrous, mid-tempo affair, which proves that they don’t have to ratchet up the pace in order to create powerful music.

Descent Towards the Depths has some grating dissonance in its initial moments, before diving headlong into a vicious slab of blackened hardcore. With its vast, groove-laden guitars and primitive drums, the song builds an impenetrable wall of noise that proves to be one of the more aggressive offerings on the record. Like Leeches, a sharp shock of feral hardcore that certainly sounds totally different from the earlier offerings on In Æternvm, blending a punk edge into the fray. Lifeless sees LACASTA further tampering with their sound, making use of the bass for the first time on the record with a prominent bass line leading the track.

In Æternvm‘s penultimate track, Darker Days, departs from the style of the rest of the album to some degree, once again making use of cleaner tones to give this song a far more atmospheric feel. That’s not to say that this isn’t a punishing listen, however. With a tighter sound comes a tighter playing style, which provides some razor sharp guitar work that again incorporates a tiny bit of classic punk, making this one of the most diverse and catchy songs on the entire record. Taste of Power with its minimalist, grating lead and slower pace, is a monolithic way to close out the album. As In Æternvm‘s longest song, at six minutes, it has plenty of solid riffs, grating feedback and crushing rhythms which help to keep it engaging throughout, showing that LACASTA are more than capable to writing fantastic, longer songs.

In Æternvm is a very impressive album from start to finish. LACASTA‘s blend of black metal and hardcore works extremely well, with many of the songs being unerringly intense and ferocious. It’s clear that the band are tentatively beginning to expand their sound, throwing subtle changes and experimentation into the mix. This works to great effect to temper the ceaseless brutality of In Æternvm, and offers a promising insight into the band’s future.

Rating: 8/10

In Æternvm is out now via Argonauta Records. 

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