ALBUM REVIEW: Songs Of Blood And Mire – Spectral Wound
In the decade since their inception SPECTRAL WOUND have firmly established themselves as one of the most singularly impressive black metal acts that Canada has produced in recent years, with the band’s first three albums, and in particular 2018’s Infernal Decadence and 2021’s A Diabolical Thirst, being progressively better than the last, coupling classic black metal with a vitriol and frenetic edge that ensures that their tight and wide-ranging style has a much broader appeal than that of many other black metal acts. Their latest album, Songs Of Blood And Mire, continues in a similar vein to its predecessors, and serves as yet another brilliant offering that only builds the Quebec quintet’s growing legend even further.
Fevers And Suffering kicks things off with meaty guitars and authoritative, pounding drums, setting a reserved yet dense tone for the rest of the record. As the song shifts towards a faster, more chaotic brand of black metal, with polished, melodic leads interspersed throughout, the vocals are introduced, carving through the mix with a searing, caustic snarl that works well alongside this unerring intensity, contributing to the energetic and powerful sound. At Wine-Dark Midnight In Mouldering Halls retains that same second wave-indebted style, but moves towards a sharper, leaner approach, with tighter musicianship and biting hooks immediately lending this a focused and noxious edge, with the acerbic guitars especially gelling perfectly with the acidic howl of the vocals, and an underlying grandiosity slowly creeping in as the song reaches its climax to add another dimension to the already varied sound.
Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal sees the punchy black ‘n’ roll style that loomed large in the sound of the opening song return with full force, with the measured beat and rumbling bass providing a brilliant backdrop to angular guitar work and harsh vocals, which combined make for a steadier, more cohesive offering that is incredibly effective. The Horn Marauding abruptly lurches back in the opposite direction, with the blistering pace and visceral performances making this instantly more cacophonous and grating, although the slicker, catchier guitar playing that features prominently on the last three tracks still dominates the undercurrent of this song, injecting lighter, epic flourishes into this brilliantly belligerent piece of music.
Less And Less Human, O Savage Spirit, with its punky drums and discordant elements, seems to find a middle ground between the forceful, hard rock-inflected sound of Aristocratic Suicidal Black Metal and the weighty aggression of The Horn Marauding, moving between the two as the song progresses and making for a much more eclectic effort than most of the earlier tracks. A Coin Upon The Tongue acts as a mirror image of the previous song, starting out rabid and gradually introducing more measured, mid-tempo moments, with noticeably bigger and more domineering drums and bass that provide a cavernous edge that makes this incredibly imposing, with vitriolic shrieks and powerful riffs interwoven in amongst this monolithic background and adding to the overall atmosphere.
Twelve Moons In Hell develops this impressive formula further, with imaginative guitars and frenetic, percussive drum fills creating a huge wall of sound over which the excellent, shrill vocal lines are laid, almost buried in the mix by the intensity of the rest of the music at points, their sharpness standing in contrast to the denser and darker musicianship that accompany them. Like many of the tracks on this album, there’s a subtle, majestic aspect, and as it reaches its closing moments, this becomes a focal point within the sound, providing a fantastic, climactic end to a brilliant record.
SPECTRAL WOUND have always been the kind of band that have managed to achieve a broad appeal, with their abrasive, second wave-influenced sound and feral intensity drawing in fans of black metal’s more extreme and sepulchral side, whilst ensuring there are plenty of catchy, melodic hooks, epic undertones and punchy touches to get the attention of those who appreciate the lighter end of the genre. Songs Of Blood And Mire, much like the band’s previous three albums, follows a very similar formula. Crucially, however, this album seems to double down on the many strengths of A Diabolical Thirst, embracing the same level of musical variety and placing a greater emphasis on grandiose elements, flavouring the more aggressive moments with a powerful atmosphere that makes this even more engrossing. This is an album that sees SPECTRAL WOUND trim away what little fat was still present in their sound and achieve their most fleshed out iteration of it yet, closing out a trio of stunning records with arguably their strongest effort so far.
Rating: 9/10
Songs Of Blood And Mire is out now via Profound Lore Records.
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