Cryfemal - 2007 - Apoteosis Oculta

Out of Spain comes this one man Black Metal band. We are presented with eight tracks of mid-paced
to fast Black Metal with a touch of the depressive.

The vocals really remind me a lot of those by Marco Kehren of Deinonychus, a rather desperate
sounding, screaming vocal style. All the lyrics are in Spanish, which is an approach I find interesting.

There is a seriously good groove to the music, which at times reminds me of early Ancient with
similarities in song structure with Burzum. The sound here also reminds me a bit of Isvind. Not a
bad bunch to be compared with. What makes it even more interesting is that this in fact has a quite
unique sound.

The soundquality is rather good here. There is of course that somewhat filthy and slightly murky sound I expect from most bands that are from southern Europe, but that just adds an edge to it. The drums and vocals are what are at the front of the mix here, closely followed by the guitar. The only instrument I can't really hear that clearly in the mix is the bass. The sound of the recording is quite sharp and clear.

The only thing I would complain about is the sound of the cymbals which I find to be a bit too tinny and unorganic at times.

Standout tracks are "El Tornado de Cesar el Ahorcado" and "Apocalipsis".

Sunday May 31 2009, by :Vragh:

Corpus Christii - 2001 - The Fire God

Out of Portugal comes this Black Metal horde, with their second album. This here is the rereleased tape version with two bonus tracks, eleven tracks in all, one of which is a cover of "Buried by Time and Dust" featuring Necrobutcher on bass. The music presented here is not at all what I expected. Mid-paced to fast Black Metal with piano parts when you least expect it, sounding like something you'd find on an Arcturus album, and some minor industrial touches, due to the pounding drum machine. I do not mean that there are interludes with piano, they have the piano playing to blasting Black Metal. The album reminds me a bit of Reign of Erebus, due to a somewhat chaotic sound and parts sound a bit like early Koldbrann. Perhaps one could even say they sound a bit like Darkthrone and Dark Funeral on the bonus tracks.

The vocals makes me think of Mannevond of Koldbrann and Thurios of Drudkh. There are also some parts sounding like Marco Kehren of Deinonychus.

The sound on this album is rather thin, but clear, with a production that makes it sound very aggressive. The bonus material has been recorded at another time than the rest of the album, having a fuller sound. The guitars and the vocals are at the front of the mix, followed by the drums. A drum machine is used on this album, though they seem to have a live drummer on later releases. The keyboard parts are all in the foreground, above all other instrumentation and vocals. This is a strange blend of an album, and I must say I enjoyed it despite two things I usually find very annoying, keyboards and a drum machine. That is not at all bad!

Standout tracks are "The Burning", "Lusitånia (de Orghulo e Honra)" and "Reflex of Nothingness".

This release is limited to 666 copies.

Sunday August 23 2009, by :Vragh: