In Greek, the word ‘chaos’ originally translated as ‘the gaping void’ which, weirdly, doesn’t sound chaotic at all. However, when the Athenian avant-garde black metal sonic destructors Heretic Cult Redeemer enter proceedings, the void becomes a great deal more unsettling and filled with experimentation, terrifying manifestations and an insanely technical display of soundscape construction. ‘In Oculum Chaos’ is their fourth album and potentially their strongest to date.
Presenting themselves as a musical entity ‘in perpetual transformation through sustained engagement with acausal forces’, the disharmonious textures unleashed during opener ‘I Saw The Void’ and into the progressive weight that permeates throughout ‘Death’s Black Shadow’, it’s clear that this is a band who know their craft and can deliver on the rather wordy promises.
Hitting in at a perfect run time of 45 minutes, the record is deeply enjoyable whilst also being one that is incapable of letting you relax for even a moment. The jarring, jazz-driven drum patterns are not dissimilar to that used by Imperial Triumphant and Ulcerate are are key to the sensations that this album can evoke. Poignant use, and production, of bass provides a terrifying urgency that couldn’t be more present than during one of the best tracks ‘Ancient Terror’, and the vocals are like a compartmentalised suitcase full of every trick in the book – DBSM shrieks combine with blackened death growls, Attila Csihar impressions and the odd Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult howl. Impressive stuff.
‘In Oculum Chaos’ has everything you would wish for from a challenging, non-conformist and violently aggressive black metal album. Knowing exactly how to stay within their welcome, Heretic Cult Redeemer have crafted chaos here, and it is a record I will most definitely be returning to when I want my brain cells rearranging.
Best Paired With: Candles that burn upside down, hoods that hang upside down and a sense of crushing dread infused with a sprinkling of impending doom.
Reviewed by Jaff.
Heretic Cult Redeemer – In Oculum Chaos is out now on Serpent Sun Records.
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