Soon after releasing the demo Black Is the Empire of Torture and Despair, Croatian one-man black metal project Tenebrositas returns with Embraced by the All Devouring Void, half an hour and bits of rough and coarse black metal, so painstakingly immediate that, paradoxically enough, it requires a further effort to actually grab it and not to let it slide away like some kind of déjà-vu.
To be entirely honest, Tenebrositas does not stray a millimeter away from the golden canon of traditional Norwegian black – which is good, needless to say, as long as it doesn’t trick the listener into the “Oh, yeah, I have already listened to tons of this” trap. This might be the case.
In comparison with the recent demo, some undeniable progress has been made as concerns the individuality of the songs, which went quite undistinguished on Black Is the Empire of Torture and Despair. Still, Tenebrositas manages to be utterly and properly black, but maybe not as forceful as one would hope for. There are moments of awesome dynamicity for example in “Forlorn Path to Obscurity” and “Eternal Wrathland”. The general impression is that these moments are a little bit too sparse, highlights of excellence on an overall good and faultless, but not memorable effort.
As far as technique, musical and songwriting skills go, this is black metal by the handbook, and dirty and hectic as it should be. On the other hand, if the greatness of Darkthrone or Immortal lies in the invention of a new style, maybe trying to sound exactly like Darkthrone or Immortal – or like anyone else, if that’s the matter –is not the easiest way to a claim to glory. Thinking ahead – that’s probably what it’s all about. Thinking of something no one has conceived, yet. Having said that, the fact remains that some good old-school black metal is always worth a listen.
Notes:
Embraced by the All Devouring Void was self-released on May 4, 2014. The full album can be listened to and downloaded on Tenebrositas' bandcamp: tenebrositas.bandcamp.com.
To be entirely honest, Tenebrositas does not stray a millimeter away from the golden canon of traditional Norwegian black – which is good, needless to say, as long as it doesn’t trick the listener into the “Oh, yeah, I have already listened to tons of this” trap. This might be the case.
In comparison with the recent demo, some undeniable progress has been made as concerns the individuality of the songs, which went quite undistinguished on Black Is the Empire of Torture and Despair. Still, Tenebrositas manages to be utterly and properly black, but maybe not as forceful as one would hope for. There are moments of awesome dynamicity for example in “Forlorn Path to Obscurity” and “Eternal Wrathland”. The general impression is that these moments are a little bit too sparse, highlights of excellence on an overall good and faultless, but not memorable effort.
As far as technique, musical and songwriting skills go, this is black metal by the handbook, and dirty and hectic as it should be. On the other hand, if the greatness of Darkthrone or Immortal lies in the invention of a new style, maybe trying to sound exactly like Darkthrone or Immortal – or like anyone else, if that’s the matter –is not the easiest way to a claim to glory. Thinking ahead – that’s probably what it’s all about. Thinking of something no one has conceived, yet. Having said that, the fact remains that some good old-school black metal is always worth a listen.
Notes:
Embraced by the All Devouring Void was self-released on May 4, 2014. The full album can be listened to and downloaded on Tenebrositas' bandcamp: tenebrositas.bandcamp.com.
| Tracklist: 1. The Shadows Went Forth 2. Slavery, Torment, Death 3. Grim Triumph of Misery and Doom 4. A Sorrow After the Sorrow 5. Where Only the Ravens Dare 6. Forlorn Path to Obscurity 7. Eternal Wrathland 8. To Dwell Among the Specters 9. Darkness Casts a Final Veil | 01:42 03:05 05:38 04:47 01:01 04:20 05:39 05:51 01:36 33:39 |