Wampyric Rites - The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre (2021)

Perfect for a cold and snowy day, today we have Ecuador’s Wampyric Rites and their debut full-length release “The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre”. While we feel silly writing Wampyr, the band’s music is no joke as their low-fi blistering Black Metal is savage and direct. Perfectly adorned by gaudy keyboards and atmospherics, this release has a very nice retro vibe to go along its sheer brutality.

After the warm-up atmospheric opening of “As Light is Absorbed by Darkness”, the band will rattle your speakers as it transitions to blistering drumming and furious riffing to deliver a swift and punishing Black Metal blow. We particularly like the mid-tempo catchiness of songs like “As Light is Absorbed by Darkness” and “Tyrant’s Blood”, where the band can be savage with their vocals and incisive riffs, and yet keep things hypnotic and melodic.

The blistering tremolo picking and massive drumming of tracks like “The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre” and “Grim Funeral Inside the Dusty Dungeons of Time” showcase the more violent side of the band, making them a dual treat as songs seamlessly weave back and forth between unrivaled rawness and sinister catchiness. Perfectly blending melody and demoralizing brutality, “Under an Amethyst Sky” is definitely one of our favorite tracks.

Overall, “The Eternal Melancholy of the Wampyre” is a pretty solid debut release from a very prolific and young band. The core brutality of the band’s sound is very well complemented by their worship of old-school Black Metal and solid execution. If you are looking for something along the lines of Selbst, Satanic Warmaster, and similar outfits, this is the release for you.

Label: Inferna Profundus Records

Release: February 1st, 2021

Genre: Black Metal

Country: Ecuador