Review Summary: Rockers, and cultists, and nazis; oh my!
From the moment you hear the pulsating synths and croaking vocals on
Black Hand, one begins to quickly realize that Black Magick SS are a unique outfit in the realm of retro music. Indeed their aesthetic is inspired by 70's Progressive Rock bands and occultism, but it also does things differently with it's Sludge Metal style and blatant nazi symbolism. Since the release of their debut album in 2017, Black Magick SS have found themselves a growing audience despite numerous setbacks, including being removed from bandcamp and widespread condemnation from the music community.
Regardless of whether they are actual nazis or not (I have good reason to believe they aren't), Black Magick SS' sophomore album
Spectral Ecstasy continues the bands Sludge Metal/Progressive Rock union with reckless abandon. This results in a similar but more refined record when compared to
Kaleidoscope Dreams. However, one major difference between the two albums is
Spectral Ecstasy's heavier use of synthesizers. This can be seen in tracks like
Black Hand and
Spectral Ecstasy but are contrasted with more guitar-laden tracks like
Fallen Tale and
Hymn of Pride. All of the tracks feature a combination of croaking and clean vocals, but considering the identities of the band members themselves are a secret, we will most likely never know who does what or how many members this band has in general. By far the best track on the record goes to
My Love. It's rhythm is almost designed to mimic the beat and pace of a marching band, with percussion taking center stage alongside heavy synthesizer use.
Black Magick SS are a unique outfit and, if one is to look past their more controversial aspects, they will find an interesting garage rock band from Australia. Nothing more, and thank God nothing less. Still, considering their relative silence since the release of this album in 2018, one wouldn't be remiss to assume that the band has all but disbanded. Then again, they could come blazing forward with new material in 2020, such is the problem concerning band's with secret identities. Nevertheless,
Spectral Ecstasy is a fun cacophony of occultism, retro aesthetics, and Sludge Metal stylings; an album that any fan of the themes mentioned above would be a fool to dismiss outright.
