On disc: Hæresiarchs Of Dis

 
 Denunciatus Cinis
 
- Mike Thompson -
 
 


 
 In Obsecration Of The Seven Darks
 
- Mike Thompson -
 
 

In Obsecration Of The Seven Darks

(Moribund Records - 2011)



 
 

 

In Obsecration Of The Seven Darks is the third album by one-man US black metal project Hæresiarchs Of Dis. Last year Cernunnos unleashed Denuntiatus Cinis, an album which appealed to me from the outset and which gained a very respectable 8 stars in my review. Does this latest blasphemous opus live up to expectations?



The first thing to say is that this latest release is somewhat shorter than Denuntiatus Cinis, clocking in at just over 50 minutes. Still a hefty slab of black metal, but it cannot be accused of being overly long!



Other than that it is business as usual for Hæresiarchs Of Dis. The Emperor influences are still present, the occasional atmospheric piece adds to the ritualistic feel of the album and there are many unusual sounds and styles present on the album, not least the organ on Aut Vincere Aut Mori. The music is generally of the style that is familiar and yet seems to have a certain factor that makes it sound like something fresh in the world of black metal.



My one complaint about In Obsecration Of The Sevens Darks is that the bass drum seems to be unnecessarily low in the mix; it can barely be heard! Its not a huge problem as there is so much going on with the other instruments anyway but when the music calls for a blasting double bass assault it comes conspicuous by its absence.



Drum gripe aside, Hæresiarchs Of Dis has released another great album here, at least on a par with the previous album. I look forward to hearing more from the depths of Cernunnos' twisted mind in the future.

 
 










Mike Thompson


  
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Denunciatus Cinis

(Moribund Records - 2010)



 
 

 

Hæresiarchs Of Dis is a one-man black metal project hailing from California and Denunciatus Cinis is the second full-length to spew forth from Cernunnos' sick and twisted mind.



Hæresiarchs Of Dis is heavily inspired by Norwegian forebears Emperor. Many of the songs on Denunciatus Cinis would fit nicely on classics such as Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk. Cernunnos' incredibly hoarse rasp is so much like Ihsahn you could in fact make the mistake of thinking that the Emperor frontman sung on this album.



Unlike many sound-alike bands however, Hæresiarchs Of Dis has managed to follow the blueprint of the greats whilst retaining its own unique sound. In today's heavily populated black metal world it is quite rare to find something so reassuringly familiar and yet strangely different.



The album features thirteen songs, six of which last longer than six minutes. There is a wide variety of sounds present on Denunciatus Cinis that all work to provide a strange yet satisfying listening experience. Blastbeats and hyper-speed tremolo picking give way to breakdowns which in turn give way to folk melodies and acoustic segments. Don't worry about the mention of breakdowns by the way, this isn't metalcore by any means!



Six of the songs on offer are blistering black metal, the other seven are atmospheric songs. For those worried that this sounds rather like a description of 1349's latest abomination never fear! The atmospheric interludes on this album are finely crafted, varied pieces of music that serve to heighten the sinister tone of the album rather than the out-of-place keyboard compositions that serve no purpose which were found on Demonoir.



I did find the album perhaps a little over-long, a shortening of some of the atmospheric parts would probably have helped here. However, on the whole this is an excellent release from Hæresiarchs Of Dis that will please most fans of utterly black metal.

 
 










Mike Thompson


  
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