Wraithfyre – Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms Review

By Dear Hollow

Not that I’m the biggest symphonic black aficionado out there, but the UK-based Wraithfyre appealed to me because its name and inconsistent uses of i’s and y’s reflected my band in high school.1 Regardless, like some of atmoblack’s more ancient conjurations, I’ve always felt like symphonic black a la Limbonic Art, Vordven, and Cult of Fire embody more extreme versions of their trve and pvrist second-wave counterparts, a direct antithesis to the more mainstream antics of Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth. Wraithfyre professes likewise an icy blast of black metal.

A project from Tom O’Dell, mastermind behind the Tolkien-inspired black metal of Dwarrowdelf and instrumental deathgrind Gimli, Son of Glóin, as well as the power metalling Battle Born, Wraithfyre offers a different, decidedly second-wave attack. While too often symphonic black metal sees its cold and icy buried beneath the bombast of keys and choirs, debut Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is no stranger to the riff. Instead utilizing macabre atmosphere as a flourish to its viciousness, O’Dell puts thorny riffs and scathing melodic lines upon the pedestal with its keys as the supporting cast. While it periodically struggles with memorability, Wraithfyre offers an obscenely entertaining debut.

You would be forgiven to believe that intro “A Lunar Descent” sets the tone for sprawling symphonic decadence. Wraithfyre kicks the gate open with icy blast with “Fallen Before Their Blazing Altar,” whose intensity is well-matched with its memorable central melody that straddles memorability and iciness in equal measure, keys supplementing the riffs. This trend continues into the juxtaposition of bouncy tremolo and aggressive plodding of “Queen of the Blighted Throne” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void,” the instrumental-focused exploration of “Infernal Heresy,” and the blastbeat-dominated intensity and chuggy riffs of “Echoes of a Forgotten Dream.” Moods of desperation, horror, and aggression are offered with seamless fluidity atop scathing tremolo, while edged riffs anchor the sound beyond mindless second-wave blasting. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is raw and intense, recalling a tasteful fusion of black metal’s lo-fi history and the more modern thrash-infused incarnations of The Infernal Sea or Toxic Holocaust.

While there is plenty killer aboard the summit Of Fell Peaks, Wraithfyre concocts unfortunate filler. While the instrumental explorations of “Infernal Heresy” and “Eternal Pyres from Beyond the Void” are mile markers along the spooky journey, tracks “Ablaze in Abyssal Frosts” blurs into the scenery while closer “Dark Souls Devoured” features a slightly wonky melody that questions its integrity, even if its plodding riffs feel emotive and powerful. That said, with very few blights, Of Fell Peaks feels safely constructed – while it never explicitly fails, its safety ensures its ambition is also kept in check. While featuring that signature vampiric sound, O’Dell has infused in it a thrashy riffage approach that won’t change your mind about either style. It also doesn’t mean to, with this debut being a fun romp but little else.

Everything about Wraithfyre feels fun. It wraps you in its logic and sweeps you to a place more reminiscent of Scooby-Doo than the depravity of men’s hearts, kicking you repeatedly in the nuts until you like it. It features a tasteful blend of keys and riffs, with the former the supporting cast rather than the decadent self-indulgence found too often in the style. Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms is also another installment of bulletproof songwriting offered by Tom O’Dell, although nearly everything about Wraithfyre feels like a side project in its frolicking intensity. However, featuring flashy musicianship, tasteful atmosphere, and powerful songwriting, it enhances second-wave iciness in bombastic fashion. I dare you to listen to Of Fell Peaks and Haunted Chasms and not have a good time.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Naturemacht Productions
Website: wraithfyre.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: July 26th, 2024

#2024 #35 #BattleBorn #BlackMetal #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CradleOfFilth #CultOfFire #DimmuBorgir #Dwarrowdelf #GimliSonOfGlóin #Jul24 #LimbonicArt #OfFellPeaksAndHauntedChasms #Review #Reviews #SymphonicBlackMetal #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust #Vordven #Wraithfyre

The Infernal Sea – Hellfenlic Review

By Dear Hollow

Black metal is a finnicky beast. While it’s cohesively devoted to the barbed-wire sonic abuse of the darkest variety, and themes range from the occult, misanthropy, and our old pal Satan, The Infernal Sea dwells in history’s halls. While prior full-lengths Negotium Crucis and The Great Mortality respectively deal with themes such as the medieval church’s exploitation and the Black Death, 2024 finds the Brits exploring a distinct figure: the “Witchfinder General” Matthew Hopkins. Son of a Puritan minister, Hopkins’ three-year crusade against witches and other perceived heresies, through brutal confession extraction and torture in the name of God, would live on in infamy. The Infernal Sea embraces the viciousness of this theme, never neglecting a tangible weight through a riff-first assault, tinged by meditation and tragedy.

The Infernal Sea would likely not raise heads with their style of second-wave. The quartet relies primarily on the unholy trinity of tremolo, blastbeats, and shrieks to carry their style, but attack it with a sour attitude and violent ruthlessness. Hellfenlic tells the tale of the Witchfinder General from zealotry to brutality to downfall through the dark lens of blackened barbarousness, a distinct album-long lyrical and sonic crescendo. With hints of thrash, black n’ roll, and atmosphere, The Infernal Sea composes their third full-length like a story, with tangible darkness and realized tragedy. Ultimately a wonky affair of intense proportions sidewinded by different genre influences and unhinged segments, while its reach exceeds its grasp periodically, Hellfenlic is an intriguing piece of storytelling whose vicious M.O. never questions the allegiance to “trve kvlt.”

If riffy black metal is your jam, The Infernal Sea has got you covered in the 1349 and Dark Funeral School of the Dark Arts. From the scathing Darkthrone tremolo of openers “Lord Abhorrent” and dancing raw melodies of “Shadow of the Beast,” to the head-bobbing heavy metal groove of “Witchfinder” and black ‘n roll riffs and punky rhythms of “Black Witchery,” Hellfenlic will not hesitate to beat you senseless with their uniquely scathingly raw yet hefty guitar tone. Tasty leads that behold a multitude of motifs are utilized throughout to convey the gravity of its source material. Bass is utilized beautifully, injecting a sinister contemplativeness into the abusive tracks “Witchfinder” and “Bastard of the East.” Proving they are not just a one-trick pony witchfinder, the closing tracks elevate Hellfenlic to a more evocative and human dimension. “Frozen Fen” incorporates sprawling and textured overlapping riffs that give a tangible meditation of Hopkins’ downfall, while closer “Messenger of God” utilizes mournful violin and emotive chord progressions alongside contemplative blastbeats to convey the tragedy and destruction wrought in the Witchfinder General’s wake, that indeed, his godly intentions led to the deepest cruelty.

The problems that plague The Infernal Sea are rooted in the adherence to the thrashing second-wave that can often derail creative compositions. Most notably, without several listens to dive into the first half in particular, the tracks can blur together: “Shadow of the Beast” and “The Hunter” have identical structure and lose memorability, starting with a frenetic tremolo/blastbeat assault, before succumbing to a punchy groove about two-thirds of the way in. “Bastard of the East” features a frail chord progression that derails the darker vibe that preceded, and its concluding kickass riff is its only saving grace; “Witchfinder” is likewise an album highlight but its kickass closing riff comes at the end of a tempo-wavering sloppy chug. Despite the nitpicks, the biggest qualm of Hellfenlic is that it is unabashed black metal. Schooled in both the cutthroat speed of Dark Funeral as well as the riff-centric blackened thrash of Absu or Toxic Holocaust, The Infernal Sea is loud and proud with little subtlety to spare.

At the end of the day, Hellfenlic is an album I can blast again and again in spite of its flaws. Tracks like “Black Witchery” and “Witchfinder” are vicious and venomous thrashers, while “Frozen Fen” and “Messenger of God” are thoughtful respites in the attack. The Infernal Sea neatly balances the riff, rooted in thrash and black ‘n roll, with its heavy-handed commentary on an infamous figure that somehow avoids the pitfalls of insensitivity or compositional neglect. While it’s unashamed black metal through and through, and that may not be for everyone, its intriguing theme and sonic blend of the thoughtful and vicious.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Candlelight Records
Websites: theinfernalsea.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/theinfernalsea
Releases Worldwide: January 26th, 2024

#1349 #2024 #30 #Absu #BlackMetal #BlackNRoll #BlackenedThrashMetal #BritishMetal #CandlelightRecords #DarkFuneral #Darkthrone #Hellfenlic #Jan24 #Review #Reviews #TheInfernalSea #ToxicHolocaust