FORMICARIUS – Rending the Veil of Flesh

FORMICARIUS – Rending the Veil of Flesh

British black metallers Formicarius unleashed this grim and melodically rich affair of theirs just a few weeks ago, and if you dig the more symphonic and frostbitten avenue of said genre, this 9-track opus might just be for you.

The emphasis is quite clearly on atmosphere and diversity, which entails that this horde moves back and forth between majestic and fast-paced onslaughts, mellow acoustic passages, chilling mid-tempo sections featuring female vocals, violins, and thrash-infested gallops. Formicarius have not exactly reinvented the wheel here or revolutionized the realm of black metal by any stretch of the imagination, but the majority of melodies are strong and epic, the musicianship is really good, and the production is relatively decent although it lacks a bit of power and bombast.

Despite “Rending the Veil of Flesh” not being original or bringing anything new to the table as such, it is hardly short of confidence or determination, and the record is both musically cohesive and solid with respect to the quality of the song material. It is definitely worth checking out as it is an enjoyable listen, and the digipak and album artwork look pretty damn cool too. The standout track is “Inherit Our Sickness” due to its massive amount of intensity, its many variations, and the wicked drive that it possesses. “Stalker Among the Stars” is also worthy of note and utterly catchy not to mention that it walks that fine line between grandeur and melancholy, so make sure you pay attention to that one too when immersing yourself in the disc. I am looking forward to their next album already as there is plenty of potential to be discovered on “Rending the Veil of Flesh”.

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