VELMORTH – Feral Dominion

vote
7.5

• Bands:
  VELMORTH
• Duration: 00:41:28
• Available from: 06/12/2025
• Label:

• Purity Through Fire

Streaming not yet available

Over the years, the German label Purity Through Fire has become an indispensable point of reference for all lovers of a certain purely old-school way of understanding black metal: its releases are, in fact, all branded by an unconditional love for the primordial spirit that animated the bands belonging to the so-called 'second wave' of the genre.
This “Feral Dominion” is no exception, debut album by Velmorth, new creation of the tireless Revenant (already active with acts well known to followers of the black scene such as Sarkrista, Order Of Nosferat and Siechknecht): what you will find among these grooves is in fact a proudly 'old and raw' black metal (although intelligible in the exposition), clearly inspired by the Scandinavian scene of the first half of the nineties (Immortal and Darkhtrone above all, as regards the roughest and most feral moments), innervated by ideas that can be traced back to the first stirrings of what would later evolve into symphonic and ambient black metal – the very first Dimmu Borgir and Gehenna, but also the first Summoning and Burzum, without forgetting the 'medieval' ideas of the first Satyricon, as regards, however, the most atmospheric and evocative moments – for a result that cannot but find favor with lovers of the purest and 'faithful to the line' black metal, but also full of melancholic and arcane hints.

The epic and nocturnal intro “To Become God” takes us into the dark and at the same time bewitching world of Velmorth, but it is with the captivating title track that the album definitively takes off.
What is immediately striking is the riffing, rough but also capable of outlining well-defined melodic trajectories, and the ability of the synth inserts (with deliciously lo-fi connotations) to evoke scenarios suspended between the folds of time and reality, characteristics that we will find throughout the entire duration of this successful first work.
Among the best episodes it is impossible not to mention, among others, the ferocious “Ascend In Chaos Fury” (able to captivate thanks to its ability to keep its darkly epic inspiration intact despite the continuous hammering to which it subjects the listener's auditory pavilions), the evocative and archaic “Imperial Wraithwoods” (whose synth lines, as simple as they are effective, really manage to transport the aforementioned listener into a dimension 'other') or the splendid “Approaching Wrathstorm” (perhaps the best ever, thanks to its varied and compelling construction, capable of condensing within its grooves the entire spectrum of our sound in a perfect balance between ferocity and atmosphere), but it is the entire album that convinces with its compactness and clarity of intent, responding with a compelling writing ability and a highly imaginative content to the possible accusations of mannerism and quotationism that some listeners more devoted to evolution might move, basing them on the evident, incontrovertible and absolutely sought-after link existing between this “Feral Dominion” and its sources of inspiration.

In this album you can breathe unconditional and visceral love for your own reference sounds, and it is to listeners animated by the same, uncorrupted feeling that the album is aimed at; therefore, lovers of plastic superproductions, 'nice and approved' plug-ins and orchestras of a hundred elements at a time should abstain: here we make black metal as it used to be done, with beautiful songs and zero concessions to social media cuteness. Take it or leave it.