Sepulchral Curse‘s darkness continues unabated.
Still led by Kari Kankaanpää (vocals, ex-Solothus, ex-Yawning Void), Jaakko Riihimäki (guitar, ex-Gladenfold), Niilas Nissilä (bass/vocals, Kaikkeuden Hauta), Aleksi Luukka (guitar, ex-Solothus, ex-Yawning Void) and Johannes Rantala (drums, ex-Yawning Void), the Finnish band sign to Dark Descent Records for the release of their third album, Crimson Moon Evocations.
Wildfires is the first track to nail us to the floor with its heaviness and darkness, combined with heady melodies and then thick vocal parts, allowing the riffs to flare up when they need to to keep the catchy touch. The final is surprisingly mellow, followed by House of the Black Moon, which is initially impressive but also relatively accessible, then drenches us with a surprisingly melancholic touch during passages where the blast reigns. The leads are particularly melodic on this track, which eventually guides into The Locust Scar, where the rhythm is much more aggressive, but also much faster and thicker, barely allowing the harmonics to adorn it with soothing sounds. The vocalist is also totally unleashed, while Beneath the Dismal Tides allows us a moment’s respite with its introduction, but the staggering riffs soon come back to hit us and nail us to the ground with furious and rather unhealthy Black/Death influences. A new moment of gentleness comes with the dissonance of Empress of the Dead, but the abrasive saturation is sure to come back into play to complete the lament of the guitars, which know how to remain rather sullen despite the violence. The break gives a unique feeling of coldness before the final wave of rage, then The Currents of Chaos offers us driving epic tones, but also a skilful blend of heaviness and strange, almost at times disturbing tones. Influences are once again directed towards melodies for the final moments, but Crimson Passage will bring the album to a close with its own dose of majestic riffs, but also of much rawer moments where vivid blast and cutting riffs join the vociferations.
Having followed Sepulchral Curse since its first releases, I’m easily aware of the band’s evolution, which continues to blend its different roots to make Crimson Moon Evocations a veritable monolith of multi-layered heaviness.
95/100