If there’s one style of extreme metal that I vibe hard with, it’s what I like to call “hell sounds”. At its roots black metal, death metal, or a combination, this soundscape also is also heavily infused with ambience to craft a nightmarish atmosphere. Brand new band Sacrificial Vein are fine purveyors of this blend of haunting music on their debut album Black Terror Genesis. Composed of two members, JU and Elegist (Nothingness), this dynamic duo seeks to send the listener spiralling down a dark, twisted labyrinthian void from which there is no escape. Indeed, Black Terror Genesis is a gateway into a sonic abyss that drowns all light that enters it, and there’s a beauty in that which I find utterly captivating.
A great quality of this debut is the constant ebb and flow of songs, each one being carefully calculated to deliver as much sonic torment as possible. Kicking things off with no time wasted on an intro, “The Blood of the Wicked Shall Entomb the Earth” makes its lumbering presence known with Elegist’s bestial roars permeating the background and riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Icelandic black metal record. “Throne of Perversion” speeds things up from the mid-paced intro track and is a hellish blend of droning guitars akin to a swarm of bees and pounding blasts. A brief hint of melancholy also appears as a motif that repeats itself at various points throughout Black Terror Genesis, and builds over time to deliver the final notes with a larger emotional impact. Later, album highlight “Cruciatum Aeternum” is almost militaristic in its approach, with a constant stream of blasts until its ending seconds slow down and meld into the next track. Black Terror Genesis manages to stick the landing too, with “Nil” providing a brief respite before the final assault that ends with a haunting choir in the background.
I’ve spent a fair amount of time with Black Terror Genesis, and its value grows with each listen. With unbelievably unhinged vocals that range from feral snarls to deranged howls to demented laughter, and production that renders it all as cavernous and atmospheric, Sacrificial Vein have put out one fantastic debut record. If whatever comes next reaches a fraction of the quality of this release, their career will be nothing but upward.
