Black Sorcery – Plummeting Into the Hour of the Wolf EP
Black Sorcery – Plummeting Into the Hour of the Wolf EP
Self-Released
Release Date: 24/05/2024
Running Time: 20:31
Review by Oli Gonzalez
5/10
Black Sorcery. A new entity for me, a Black Metal quartet hailing from Rhode Island, USA. Describing their sound as “Cold, foreboding, caustic, and frenzied”, I was wondering what to expect. Having recently attended Fortress Festival and seeing some of the best of the genre across the globe, my standards were high.
A bit of a slow start to be fair, and nothing really was screaming at me. It seems like the songs have been built around the guitar riffs, which – giving credit where credit is due, are a solid foundation to build the rest of the songs from! I feel like production isn’t bringing the best out of them though sadly, which is a shame. Especially during some sections where the guitar arpeggios towards the end of ‘Without Reflection’. I did genuinely question whether the guitars were even in tune! This made the riffs uncomfortable to listen to at times too sadly; and I feel just as uncomfortable writing that.
In terms of composition and song structure, it seems to take a bit of a mad scientist approach at times. No clearly identifiable structure not built towards any key sections of the song. There appear to be too many ideas thrown together without real thought.
Vocally though, things do get better. Stygal has a consistent and solid CVLT shriek which is what you would expect from the genre. Whilst I’ve definitely heard better but have certainly heard worse, sometimes there’s no need to reinvent the wheel and stick to what works for the genre, and Black Sorcery have a solid vocalist here within the ranks.
It seems like there’s a seemingly old school vibe, reminiscent of a throwback to the early days of the genre. Obscure example but early Enslaved (“Frost” era) springs to mind.
What separates Black Sorcery from what is a fiercely stacked and competitive genre of bands? Not a lot sadly in my book.
TRACKLISTING:
01. World Demands Cruelty
02. The Hour of the Wolf
03. Without Reflection
LINE-UP:
Czarnobog – Bass
Wraitheon – Drums
Bloodfuck – Guitars
Stygal – Vocals
LINKS:
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