There’s that strain of black metal, straddling if not disregarding boundaries between atmospheric, post, melodic, dissonant, and second-wave, where the music, true to its occupying the less-mainstream corners of the genre, sits like a shadowy presence in peripheral vision—preoccupying itself not with Lovecraftian horrors, or overt, antagonistic portrayals of Satanism, but with terrors less far-fetched and obscure. An occultism of an introspective, existential bent, premised on the human mind. Sacrificial Vein, comprised of fragmented members of Nothingness, Aegaeon, and a mysterious JU, follow this dark trajectory. Their style, borrowing heavily from these wonky, frightening realms of black metal, culminates in an album that crept silently up behind me, grabbed me by the throat, and dragged me into a fiery abyss. That’s a good thing, by the way.
For the avoidance of doubt, Black Terror Genesis sounds nothing like Nothingness, or Aegaeon. Its drawling, cruel chords and creeping malignancy have far more in common with early Deathspell Omega, and its voids of presence, and weirdly wise-feeling solemnity take a page from Schammasch. At times, it veers into Dodecahedron territory with frightening, claustrophobic layers of fury and mania, but always stays on the right side of overwhelming. Much of it is quite beautiful. But, as with all extreme music, this beauty is paid for with harrowing, and confrontational assault. Eerie at its most calm and inexorable at its most urgent, across the three-quarters of an hour you spend with Black Terror Genesis, you are liable to forget everything else.
Key to the album’s power is how Sacrificial Vein weaves frenetic madness into deeply atmospheric profundity. While clustered, anxious riffery and impossibly accelerating percussion cause tension to spike wildly (“The Blood of the Wicked Shall Entomb the Earth,” “Throne of Perversion,” “Wombs of Depravation”), spacious, echoing melodiousness softens the edges, and calms without losing the sense of anticipation (“The Blood…,” “Apparition,” “Abjection”). Horror is injected not only through dissonance, but with vocals that lurch into deranged laughter (“The Blood…,” “Throne of Perversion,” “Wombs of Depravation”) and heave to ragged, unhinged wails (“Throne…,” “Rites of Malignancy,” “The Unbearable Stench of Malediction”). At the same time, tracks like “Throne of Perversion,” and in particular album highlight “Cruciatum Aeternam” are violently compelling through a balanced building of drama, horror, and ecstasy, mournful catharses breaking out of bleak brutality. And the seamless way that tracks tend to spill into one another—a spidery guitar riff transitioning into a blastbeat-led frenzy (“The Blood…”/”Throne of Perversion”); a continued rumbling chord (“Throne of Perversion”/”Rites of Malignancy”); a crescendo of heavy synth (“Wombs of Depravation”/”Nil”)—makes it all that much more immersive.
It can’t be overstated how viscerally frightening Black Terror Genesis can be, and how thrilling the releases of melodious emotion are when they come (“Throne…,” “The Unbearable…,” “Cruciatum Aeternam”). For this reason, it is incredibly frustrating that the music is as compressed as it is. With a DR of 4, there’s simply not enough room for the abyssal lows and anxiety-inducing highs to have the intense impact they ought to. It is a testament to the mad genius of the compositions that I do nonetheless feel afraid, exhilarated, and possessed when I listen. But when the ominous layered chants and screams (“Rites of Malignancy”) or sinister tremolos (“The Unbearable…,” “Abjection”) are pushed too far back, I can’t help imagining what could have been. This is why the interludes “Apparation,” with it’s horrifying laughter and menacing synth; “Abjection,” the mournful, breathless denouement to “Cruciatum Aeternam”; and “Nil,” the disturbing swansong of the record, hit as hard as they do. Far from being shoehorned in, their comparatively empty spaces feel like natural pauses in the macabre ritual, and their atmospheric depths lend themselves well to abyss-gazing.
Since first laying my hands on Black Terror Genesis, I’ve hardly been able to turn it off. Sacraficial Vein seem to have found that magical recipe for immersive, inexorable, intoxicating black metal that’s as beautiful as it is horrifying. I hope these guys get their production sorted out for the next one, because if they do, it’s going to be incredible. For now, they’ve made an impressive, visceral impact that I’m continually drawn back to like a moth to a dark, sinister flame.
Rating: Great!
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Total Dissonance Worship
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: March 15th, 2024
