Wrath of Logarius is back with a vengeance.
After their first EP under their new identity, the band formerly known as Martyr Logarius, comprising Noctifer (vocals), Vastator (guitar), Urath (guitar) and Lord Marco (drums, Six Feet Under, Waking the Cadaver, Sleep Terror, ex-Brain Drill…) unveil Crown of Mortis, their debut album.
The album opens slowly with Unfathomable, a mysterious introduction featuring a voice before Keeper of the Spectral Legion strikes with brutality and dark elements. The track’s rather macabre visual identity is revealed in the video clip, with its dissonant yet majestic leads helping to forge the heavy atmosphere also found on Erosion, the following song, and its rather theatrical approach to violence. The furious vociferations lead us between the different spheres of Black and Death Metal, then to the impressive Of the Void, which first tramples us with all its rage before offering us a very melancholy, Post-Black-infused break whose atmosphere rubs off on the final wave of aggression. Long Dead the King barely gives us a moment’s respite before unleashing its devastating stream of oppressive riffs, before moving on to a catchy, more complex, jerky approach. The sound ends its run in nothingness before Crypt allows us a moment of floating between anguish and appeasement, but this is broken by The Ethereal Mist, where the band welcomes Vilhelm (Grima, Ultar, Second to Sun) to reinforce the intensity of the vocal parts that rage within a fiery, heady instrumental. Lurker’s Tomb follows with a terrifying howl, followed by a chaotic approach, first savage then more hazy, before blending the two atmospheres, including a tortured solo before the explosive final. Dread then closes the album with a more haunting rhythm punctuated by waves of raw violence where double pedal and breathless riffs meet.
Wrath of Logarius continues its path of violence and dissonance, blending very dark styles to create its own riffs. Crown of Mortis is extremely oppressive, but also very intense, for anyone who appreciates the dark arts.
90/100