Black Pestilence strikes again.
Formed in 2008 by Valax (bass/vocals, Ravenous) in Canada, the band started out as a solo project, then began recruiting musicians in 2012. In 2018, Davey Hellfire (drums, Ravenous, Viathyn) and Daniel Toews (guitar) joined him, and announced five years later the release of Chaotic Wisdom, the seventh album.
Mortal Rift opens the album with a relatively modern ominous sample, followed by aggressive riffs somewhere between Old School Black Metal and energetic Punk influences. Vocal parts only serve to strengthen the sound’s power, which builds to chaotic vaporous leads before leading us into A Life of Evil and its catchy rhythm, again packed with futuristic effects. Rage never wavers, even during the ominous break that quickly brings us back to cruising speed, then The Devil’s Connection follows with relatively cheerful tones that are overshadowed by the arrival of morbid vocals. The contrast remains interesting, as the riffs are set ablaze at the end, before Chaos and Carnality offers its heady, jerky riffs, complemented by the occasional noise that naturally grafts itself onto the mix. The final charge redoubles its violence with Aspect of Darkness, which opens with an alarm heralding the wave of fury and its Sci-Fi sounds. The band invites Mark Russell from Citizen Rage to lend his voice to Infernal Might, an equally effective and driving track whose Punk roots are obviously reinforced, then the musicians use an introduction with Industrial roots to start Animus, the long final track, before coupling their energetic, heady basis to create waves of pure energy.
Black Pestilence has its own approach to Black Metal, blending a raw, Punk-influenced base with strange futuristic elements. Chaotic Wisdom is very short, but provides a good overview of the band’s rage.
75/100
