Muerto opens the gates to its realm.
For this third album, titled Eclipsed Realms, Penny Smitten (bass/vocals), Juan Mondragón (guitar, Darkside Ritual), and Eddel Jared (drums, Metal Invaders) have signed with Indian label Transcending Obscurity Records.
We dive straight into dissonance with Serpentine Echoes, a somewhat unsettling opening track that quickly transforms into a wave of pure aggression with an initial scream, followed by a thick rhythm section featuring piercing harmonics and cavernous growls. The double bass drum skillfully leads the charge, imposing its frenzied pace as it propels us toward Veil of Desolation, where we enjoy a brief moment of respite before the musicians weave melancholic touches into the leads, accompanying a foundation that starts off fairly slow but soon becomes just as savage as on the previous track. Some Black/Death influences emerge in the aggressive passages of the lengthy track, then we reach Burning Shadows, which returns to a colder, Old School approach to Black Metal—one already present in the vocally oppressive, echoing parts. We continue with Wilderness, which blends dissonance and rage while offering a frenzied, catchy pace; however, the track is fairly short and quickly gives way to the more mysterious melody of the intro to Decay, the next composition where clean vocals and ethereal elements blend harmoniously, imposing a more haunting rhythm upon us. The drums are sure to energize the whole, taking us through a few rougher, more abrasive moments that contrast with the ambient calm, and then we close the album with Radiance, the longest track on the album, which draws on post-metal elements with its deliberate slowness, haunting leads, and that ever-present hoarse vocals steering the ship through passages of calm that lead us into silence.
Muerto’s approach isn’t simply pure Black Metal. Although the band knows exactly how to harness its Old School roots, Eclipsed Realms has a few more ethereal, even gentle surprises in store to counterbalance the rage.
75/100
