Review Summary: Throroughbred black metal!
There’s really nothing like some true, old-school black metal. The magical nature of a wall of static being powered by ice-cold, raw riffs never fails to tickle my fancy. Sadly, it seems as the years go on, more and more bands seem enamored with twinkly production and massive symphonics, leaving the very essence of black metal in the background. But fear not, there’s still a handful of bands that are willing to punch you right in the throat, and Tenebrae in Perpetuum is one of them.
Unbeknownst to me, these guys have been around since 2001 and released their first LP in 2003.
Vacuum Coeli is their newest album, and I don’t know what they were like before, but this one is an absolute ripper of a black metal album. There’s no frills here ladies and gentlemen. They have one mission and one mission only, and that is to obliterate the listener into vile, bloody pieces. It’s a nonstop assault from the moment you press play. Melody isn’t their thing, buzzsaw tremolo picked chords and blast beats from the depths of Hell hit you over and over and over again until you feel so disoriented you may have to hit pause.
Too many black metal bands nowadays rely on the bells and whistles. A jazz piece here, an electronic bit there, and all of a sudden you catch yourself asking if what you’re listening to is
really even black metal at all. No such questions are required of
Vacuum Coeli. Guttural squawks pierce your heart through all of the madness in the riffage and drums. Think of the lo-fi goodness of bands like (early) Gorgoroth and 1349. The ping of the snare packs a huge punch and the riffs deliver a bleak companion to all of the blasts.
Honestly, playing pure black metal like this is a challenge. Not every band can take the basics and make it sound so deliciously evil. The atmosphere of desperation and bleakness isn’t as easily achieved as one might think, but Tenebrae in Perpetuum pulls it off gloriously. We need to normalize straight-up, raw black metal once again.
Vacuum Coeli is certainly a huge step in the right direction.
