Luciferian Rites – When the Light Dies (2015)

Just when you think that Horna and more specifically Shatraug, has the market corned for raw and demoralizing Black Metal, we get a band like Luciferian Rites and their soul crushing sophomore release “When the Light Dies”. Featuring total savagery from start to finish, this Mexican band deliver one of those raw and punishing Black Metal releases that instantly standout from the rest.

The album opens with the fulminating violence of “Eternal Misanthropy of the Black Cosmos”, a crushing track that sets a very intense mood with pummeling riffs and eerie vocals. The music is by no means innovative, but it is so flawlessly executed that it sends chills through our skin. Ravaging through songs like “Incinerated Cross” and “Infernal Manifestation”, we are still blown away by the raw brutality behind the band’s sound and the crisp quality of the production behind this release.

Blasting the listener away with demonic hollering and tight drumming, “When the Light Dies” is one of our favorite tracks in this release. Filled with epic headbanging moments and intense harshly melodic passages, tracks like “Conviction of Nocturnal Raven” and the blistering “Garden of Spirits” are great testaments to the quality behind this excellent band. Never letting go of the listeners attention, the band delivers more punishment in the shape of brilliantly executed songs like “A Dreadful Chant for Self-Destruction” and “All Your Lies”

Closing with the most melodic and melancholic track: “Ghost in the Shadows”, we are left hungry for more, a lot more. The band’s mastery of the Black Metal arts is undeniable and they manage to deliver 10 brilliant tracks of extreme savagery and brutality. This is one Black Metal release that will instantly go up in our shelf of brilliant releases with the likes of Horna, Sargeist, Mortualia, and the likes. As one of the best BM albums of 2015, be sure to not miss picking this one up from Moribund Records.

Label: Moribund Records

Release: May 12th, 2015

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Mexico