3 years after the release of their last album – “Fullmoon Fury Ritual” – the Transylvanian/Hungarian occultists of Death Nöize have done it again. This time, with the 3rd album in their collection, “Rites, Curses and Spells“. The new opus will see the unlight of day, on vinyl format limited to 250 pieces, on the 15th of October as a joint cooperation between Bestial Burst and Metal ör Die Records.
Before going into any details about this record, let me be very clear: this is the best album the band has released so far, no doubts about it. If on the previous albums they were somehow trying to find their “way”, so to speak, with “Rites…” they kind of hit the jackpot and went straight to the heart.
From the very first track, “Haunting Chant” (perfect name for an opening song, by the way) to the closing sounds of the last one, “In the Darkness“, the listener is taken on a psychedelic journey full of black magic rituals, smoke, superstitions and of course, the mighty Devil.
As The Devil’s Blood once put it, “Round and round and round and round we go”, and this is exactly what happens on “Rites, Curses and Spells“. This album can be considered a magic, musical circle which plays continuously in a loop and gives you the impression that at some point you might have gone a bit wee crazy. It was a good choice to start and close the album with the same psychedelic sounds of an old, dusty piano, as they created this feeling of repetitious eternity.
Musically speaking, this record is a step forward on the black metal path, but there are also several evident thrash metal (and punk/crust) elements as well which make this album very enjoyable. While the instrumental part is pretty raw and aggressive, with catchy guitar riffs and varied drum patterns, the vocals are kind of “primitive”, hoarse and menacing. Times spews his growling magic formulas with rage and passion, as if he’s under the influence of some weird magical herbs ingested during the recordings.
As a surprise, Harald Mentor (a prominent figure in the Finnish underground and the guy behind many well known Finnish bands, like Incriminated or Ride for Revenge) delivers some very cool guitar solos on 3 of the album tracks, “Old Devil’s Wine“, “In Total Devotion” and “Whisper of Old Bones“.
Overall, with this 3rd album, Death Nöize have clearly reached their musical maturity and have delivered a solid and straightforward record, in spite of the distance which separates the band members. The music speaks for itself better than a thousand words, so I strongly advise you to check this record out and give it multiple spins.
Just like the album cover (taken form the classic horror movie Häxan), the music on “Rites, Curses and Spells” is simple, old fashioned and mysterious. This cohesive piece of music, written and played in the true underground spirit, will make those missing the good old days of black metal very happy.
Death Nöize – “Rites, Curses and Spells” track list:
- Haunting Chant
- Incubus
- Rites, Curses and Spells
- Old Devil’s Wine
- In Total Devotion
- Whisper of Old Bones
- In the Darkness
Band Links:
scrollsofdarmoth.com 