BLACK EUCHARIST – Inn of the Vaticide

This is my first encounter with the infernal black metal trio from the US known as Black Eucharist, and I must say that I am utterly pleased with this crushing slab of musical unholiness that they have vomited forth. For one thing, efficiency and catchiness seem to be the order of the day and high on their list of priorities, which essentially means that you get eight memorable compositions that are riddled with relatively simple yet insanely powerful riffs, an unpolished and organic sound that could only have been conjured up in an abhorrent pit somewhere terrible, and some rather raw and aggressive vocals that add an overwhelming sense of intensity to the proceedings. These guys are neither into musical innovation nor do they give a rat’s ass about being forward-thinking; everything on this vile disc revolves around the notion of bringing about an impenetrable aura of darkness and decay – and they have undoubtedly succeeded in spawning a record that feels oppressive and unnerving.

Inn of the Vaticide contains some magnificently disgusting black metal for all you maniacs and die-hard fans of the genre out there, and blackened hymns such as the fierce ‘Drowned Flock’ with its awe-inspiring epic ending and the morbid, death metal-esque ‘Broken Staff of the Shepherd’ deserve a wider audience. Again, the quality of the riffs really is quite something here and they add just the right amount of dynamics to it all. The brilliant artwork also complements the atmosphere of the album splendidly, and fans of Demoncy and Crucifier should make a note of this impressive debut offering.