EP REVIEW: Under Satan’s Wrath – Mystifier/Lucifer’s Child
Despite its enduring association with all things cold and miserable, it is a truth self-evident that some of the very best purveyors of mind-shattering black metal come from some of the hottest countries on earth. Coming together from opposite ends of the Atlantic Ocean to collaborate are Brazilian legends of the genre MYSTIFIER, and LUCIFER’S CHILD, the new outing for George Emmanuel, formerly of ROTTING CHRIST, of course hailing from Greece. Upon first glance, this new split is wrapped in possibly one of the most striking and excellent pieces of cover art put out in years, but will the music do the cover justice?
MYSTIFIER come tearing out of the gate with Death Beyond Holy Creation, a barrelling intro studded with jagged staccato riffing which showcases their updated sound. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they’ve kept true to their original hellish arrangement, as this material would not have felt out of place on their classic Goetia, only now it’s been polished to a higher sheen. This oil-slick of blast beats is interspersed with interludes of powerful crunch and some excellent melodic guitar lines, of which special mention should be made, as every time they come up they add a delicious layer of pitch-black vibrancy to proceedings.
Under Inhumane Evil Spells begins with a snare count, which is of course always the best way in. Soon to follow is an MG-42 blast beat and a tremendous vocal performance, which can best be described as like a showroom of various black metal vocal techniques. Musically we’ve got a real melting pot of riffs, solo work and bludgeoning percussion. MYSTIFIER are clearly not a band who have lost their mojo, as this material sits, cackling maniacally, along with some of their best.
Next we find the legends paying tribute to another complete heavyweight, that being SAMAEL’s Worship Him, here stylised as Worship Her. As covers go, this is a fairly faithful interpretation of the ritualistic abyss of power chords provided by the original but, of course, fired through the Brazilian masters’ heavier and more muscular sound. Some listeners, (the author included) may half-heartedly question the choice of such a song to cover, wondering whether it may have been slightly more exciting to see MYSTIFIER tear up, perhaps, an old BLASPHEMY number, but that crossover may hopefully rear its ugly head at some point in the future; we may simply have to bide our time and enjoy what we are given for the time being.
Turning to the LUCIFER’S CHILD side of the split, opener Satan’s Wrath comes in straight to the point with hellish shrieks and lashings of that melodic, almost faintly sun-dappled tremolo that nobody does quite like the Greek practitioners. This track is a complete rager, with its first half being largely made up of sheer caustic speed, whereas its midriff is slightly more restrained but no less vicious. When the speed picks up for its final moments the vocals take a markedly and impressively demonic twist. For a relatively new band (albeit one steered by an experienced hand) who have secured a split with legends of the genre, they are most definitely not wasting their opportunity. Absolutely no punches are pulled here.
Nova Tenebris opens on a suitably grim intro of howling wind and ravens. A brooding bass intro then leads into an esoteric feeling riff. The bulk of this track is slightly more restrained than the earlier material but this is traded off against soaring guitar solos and utterly sublime melody. There are whiffs of a WATAIN style structure to this, but it’s achieved in a much more convincing and threatening manner.
Now, the cover of BATHORY’s Enter The Eternal Fire has the potential to be shaky territory, seeing as how it’s possibly one of the best black metal tracks ever recorded, but LUCIFER’S CHILD more than do it justice. Its an excellent tribute and one that will likely have you itching to pull out and revisit Under The Sign Of The Black Mark. There are no two ways about it, if you like black metal, you love this song, so there shouldn’t be much discussion about your enjoyment of a tastefully done homage. Res Ipsa Loquitur, the thing speaks for itself…
Rating: 8/10
Under Satan’s Wrath is out now via Agonia Records.
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