Second chapter for the beekeepers of Vígljós.
Created in Switzerland in 2023, the project bringing together L (vocals, Gravpel), J (drums), and N (guitar) released their first album the following year, then caught the attention of Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions for the release of their second album, Tome II – Ignis Sacer.
We discover disturbing medieval tones with Sowing, an introduction to Aorrta‘s mellotron that allows us to gauge the mood before the raw sound corrupts the tranquility on A Seed of Aberration, mixed with L‘s desperate screams. While the first part of the composition seems quite aggressive, especially when blast beats and screams come together, we also discover a more ethereal and almost refined break that allows us to reach the last burst of furious melancholy before The Rot plunges us into its intoxicating apathy, then lets keyboards and guitars offer more piercing tones to complete the trippy approach. The vocalist’s moans reinforce the oppressiveness of the slowness, but Claviceps finally reconnects with fury and speeds up the mix to give it disturbing morbid tones, as well as piercing leads forged in the most violent influences. The band’s sound finally turns to Black’N’Roll for Delusions of Grandeur, a catchy track at first glance that retains its aggression through furious Old School patterns and then becomes more plaintive as the vocals diversify to include a few shrill screams, amplified by the dirty mix. We move on to the intoxicating sweetness of Decadency and Degeneration, which doesn’t last long and offers more lively accelerations that contrast with the dissonant melodies, but we savor each part under the vocalist’s vociferations before letting Harvest hypnotize us with a few softer notes. The keyboards return to enhance some passages that are already quite harmonious but remain rooted in this dirty Black Metal that once again plays with the boundaries of DSBM before gently joining Fallow – A New Cycle Begins, where we find the mellotron to accompany us towards the end of the album.
With its Old School approach influenced by many facets of Black Metal, Vígljós has everything to please a knowledgeable audience. Tome II – Ignis Sacer will be talked about, whether for its raw style or for many other reasons.
90/100