Review Summary: Drifting through misty Welsh vales.
Wales is a land that looms large in my romanticized view of Europe. For an American, a surprisingly large number of my ancestors hail from Cymry. And like most Americans who fixate on the places their ancestors left centuries ago, I’m sure most Welsh would either shrug or cringe at such fawning Yankee notions. However, this tenuous affinity for, and uniquely American fixation on, a place I’ve never actually been did make Verletzen’s latest release jump off the page when I was trawling for recent albums. I was already familiar with other Welsh black metal acts like Cwlt Draig, with whom Verletzen has shared a member, and Iselder.
Usurping the Throne Under the Crown of Blasphemy sits quite nicely among this lineup with a penchant for raw, fierce black metal.
Kicking off the album is the excellent “Longing for the Old World.” At more than six minutes the track is packed with fantastic atmoblack segments and writhing screams that conjure Wolves in the Throne Room, and features somber male choral passages. One of the most immediate changes from the band’s previous output is how much more polished they sound this time around while still retaining a fuzzy, frigid edge to their music. The drums on this album tread that line exceptionally well. They’re pounding and powerful and pan between the ears with the tom rolls to create a real sense of spaces within the mix. The guitars are clear but still agonizingly raw as they shift from melody to groove with ease.
Other influences quickly become apparent though as the following two tracks opt for punchier runtimes and a more standard second-wave influence with straight-ahead minor chord riffing bookended by an acoustic folk interlude. This is all very competently done, as are the following three cuts which range from atmoblack to more minor chord riffage and, quite frankly, the whole album. But competent doesn’t necessarily mean especially memorable, and this is where the album seems to struggle the most.
Whereas the previous album and EP were loaded with raw and melodic black metal,
Usurping the Throne Under the Crown of Blasphemy seems to find Verletzen trading in some of that swagger for atmosphere. Take a look at the aura-drenched grayscale album cover and imagine what this album sounds like and that’s essentially what you’re getting here. It sounds great, it’s often engaging and brings to life a misty, ceremonial and occasionally medieval Welsh romanticism. But much of the album eventually blends together while the 32 minute runtime feels like it somewhat overstays its trim confines. The band also abandons its dabbling in dungeon synth found on previous albums which was a bummer since they were always enjoyable songs.
So where does this leave
Usurping the Throne Under the Crown of Blasphemy? Overall, I’d say in a pretty strong place, albeit just a notch or two down from their previous album and debut EP. It’s an atmospheric journey that showcases strong vocal and instrumental performances, but one that’s a tad scant on memorable moments and riffs. That said, tracks like “Longing for the Old World” or “Bloodstained Rites Beneath a Bleeding Moon” show that the band can absolutely write killer songs, and I look forward to seeing if they continue to refine their atmospheric black metal or incorporate more of their earlier rambunctiousness. Those strengths also make this album well worth a listen for fans of atmospheric black metal, and be sure to check out their previous offerings too.
