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The Heretic Cult Redeemer, an Athenian quartet formed in 2009 and author of an enveloping and lysergic black metal (much appreciated in 2023 thanks to the third full-length “Flagellum Universalis”), reappear on the scene with a new psychedelic-tinged journey into the chaotic vortex of the unconscious.
As usual, in recent years it cannot be said that great things have happened in the universe of our band, also given their choice not to perform live, but everything that was missing on a facade level has fortunately occurred behind the scenes, with an album capable of cementing their writing and typically Hellenic ability (think also of the efforts of fellow citizens Thy Darkened Shade, Acrimonious and Acherontas) to walk along that thread suspended between tradition and modernity.
A sound that neither seeks to seduce those nostalgic for the lo-fi aesthetics of the early nineties, nor to appeal to those listeners linked to the 'post-' and contaminated declinations of the genre, and which in the specific case of “In Oculum Chaos” actually gives the impression of having been conceived among intoxicating airs, magical rituals and psychotropic substances.
Music with an oblique and hypnotic flow, yet – when necessary – also innervated by a penetrating, almost tribal groove, and by bursts of violence that manifest themselves as sudden flashes in a leaden sky, for a tracklist in which it is possible to trace both the avant-garde madness of a certain Norwegian black metal (Dødheimsgard, Ved Buens Ende), and the liturgical approach of the infamous transalpine school headed by Deathspell Omega.
A proposal that cannot be defined, in terms of effort and attention, 'at no cost' for anyone who decides to tackle it, but which compared to that of other colleagues (see the Czechs Inferno, who have also recently returned to the market) avoids getting into paths that are too tortuous and bizarre, leaving the general density and complexity to always remain anchored to the foundations of the songs, without 'flattering' as an end in themselves.
A hallucinatory picture emerges which, if one is familiar with the works of the aforementioned Thy Darkened Shade, will sound rather familiar, with a sober and targeted use of technique (on the shields, once again, the bass textures), esoteric atmospheres raining down on a series of ingenious and unpredictable structures and – acting as a glue – a profound sense of suspension, as if from these sinuous envelopments it could be unleashed at any moment to the other something ancient and evil.
Overall, well represented by the goddess Kali-themed artwork, the interpretation of the frontman Funus stands out, author of a performance where the canonical scream is almost always replaced by a delirious and declamatory recitative; a divisive choice (and perhaps, in the long run, a little cloying) which however reaffirms the quartet's desire to go straight on their way, following a flow which in these nine episodes aims to consolidate, rather than move the bar of the project forward.
To be savored slowly to fully enjoy the form (the production is simply excellent) and content of notable pieces such as “The Wondrous Strand of Time” and “To Rust, We Glorify”.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM
