Blood Countess returns to our world.
Formed in 2018 in England, the band led by The Cuntess (vocals), István (guitar, Arcane North, Wynter Myst, ex-Old Corpse Road…), Átok (guitar, Tyrant), Darianth (bass), and Michael Robinson (drums) has signed with Dominance of Darkness Records for the release of their second album, Imperatrix Sanguinis.
Chains of Misdeed takes a moment for a brief, terrifying sample before unleashing the full power of its virulent Old School influences in frenzied riffs that slow down only to develop hypnotic melodies while the singer screams like a real banshee. There are also some backing vocals during the icy passages, as well as a tortured solo, before leading us into Sadistic Marchioness, which follows with a similar approach just as abrasive and furious as the previous track confirming the band’s effectiveness. The veil of dissonance unfolds best in the agonizing slowness, but the double kick knows exactly how to reignite the machine, just as on A Humiliating Plea for the Glorification of Erotic Suffering, where blast beat leads the charge, yet offers far more melancholic tones, almost ethereal at times. The biting solo adds a new touch of coldness, then we find a hint of Thrash with The Scavenger’s Daughter, the next track, which proves far sharper in its omnipresent harmonics and hastens to develop unsettling tones during the slightly slower sections. Shackles of Sin treats us to a new sample straight out of a horror film as a breather, but wailing and keyboards will haunt us before giving way to Purge of Trencin, where distortion and darkness erupt all at once, plunging us back into the usual fury while the bass indulges in far more melodious flourishes. The track is long, but everything is designed to keep us on the edge of our seats until Schadenfreude takes its place, amplifying both the virulence and the intensity, and not hesitating to include screams of terror in its most aggressive sections. The contrast with Anna Nádasdy, the final track, is quite striking from the very first moments, allowing the most ethereal tones to fill the atmosphere and hypnotize us while the singer works her magic, and even though some passages are wilder, the album closes with this somber gentleness, complemented by keyboards.
Blood Countess’ Black Metal is very often icy and ferocious, and even though Imperatrix Sanguinis occasionally allows itself to touch on melancholy and ethereal tones, the sound remains uncompromising, honoring its Old School roots.
90/100