Corpus Christii - Carving a Pyramid of Thoughts (2008)

I'm admittedly a bit clueless when it comes to the Portuguese metal scene, other than the obvious Moonspell and their one-time side project, Daemonarch, but a quick venture over to the Metal Archives will in fact reveal quite a few bands have popped up from here, however it would seem very few have made it past their own border. Corpus Christii is as far as I know the only known black metal band from Portugal, Lisbon to be exact. Largely the work of multi instrumentalist, Nocturnus Horrendus (with session musicians), the band has been active since '98 and during the year he's released a few EPs and splits as well as seven full-length albums.

'Carving a Pyramid of Thoughts' is one of the projects more recent releases, an EP from '08 and so far my one and only experience with Corpus Christii.

Nocturnus Horrendus

Essentially a collection of unreleased material from previous album sessions, this twenty two minute EP may not serve as the best introduction to the band, but either way what's presented is quite admirable. Opening with 'Me, the Hanged One' Nocturnus Horrendus offers up raw toned black metal that ranges from mid-pace to being fairly speedy with underlining synth and both a raspy screamed vocal style as well as a more mournful bawl. 'Surrender' and 'Craving Nemesis' have a much rawer guitar style coupled with fast galloping drums, sinister tremolo styled riffs and a tormented snarl that'd make any black metal fan pleased. 'Below the Waters' and 'Transcend' are from the 'Rising' album sessions, though were not released until this EP. Both songs have an entirely different production style from the earlier songs and again the music ranges from being speedy to more mid-paced on Below, while Transcend is a simple instrumental track with a melancholy sort of vibe wrapped around it.

I have no idea if the material on this EP is a true reflection of the Corpus Christii sound, but it must be said that these recordings are definitely enjoyable. Obviously not something to buy immediately, but its at least a nice teaser.