Sumptuously initiating with the sounds of pounding tribal drum work and indigenous flute playing, 'Ritual A Huitzilopochtli' chimes out of my speakers intensely, before long augmented by the sampled voices of various screams and then diving straight into the powerful opener, 'Deflora La Oveja De Dios.' 'Dry Spells & Serpent Gods' is the debut long player from Milwaukee, Wisconsin based raw orthodoxy Black Metal stalwarts, Sacrificial Massacre.
Originally spawned in '08 by the young A.A.Q. (vocalist/guitarist) under the banner of Mermeroth together with drummer T. they cut the debut demo, 'Nocturnal Processions' in '09. Shortly there after current drummer J.G.M. stepped in to complete this two-man duo, which then went on to record the demos, 'Through Fire to His Grim Idol' & 'Fulfill Thy Cravings of Flesh' in '10 & '11. Since then Sacrificial Massacre has been a regular live band around the mid-west area, often playing all around Wisconsin as well as traveling to the Illinois and Minnesota area too, delivering highly atmospheric and engaging performances.
Lasting forty one minutes and with fourteen total songs, 'Dry Spells & Serpent Gods' delivers raw black metal compositions that are simple and to the point but more importantly on point and amazingly effective in their conveyance. For a band that consists of just two members and two instruments (drums and a single guitar - no bass at all) the sound and atmosphere is immense, recalling the early work of Darkthrone, Horna, Judas Iscariot, Craft and various Les Légions Noires bands, each of these short songs tend to stick out and tell their own tale. The band cites Aztec Mythology as an influence and lyrical theme and it clearly roars out in the three instrumental tracks, though many individual tracks I suspect feature similar themes, though odes to Satan, Lucifer, Iblis (Islamic Devil) and Gaia (Greek Goddess of the earth) can additionally be found.
Already mentioning the opening two tracks and their ability to engage the listener from the get go, the album continues strongly with 'I Bow to None But Gaia,' which has a slow piercing lead riff before blasting into speedier territories near the songs ending, while 'Lighting the Catacombs of the Dead' has an honestly catchy opening riff, which reminds me of Vlad Tepes especially, with the rest of the song moving at a mid-pace the song similarly ends in a speedy fashion, which could very well induce massive foot tapping or sudden air drumming from the listener (well, that's what happens when I listen to it). 'Indivisible from Satan' is the shortest of the black metal songs that clocks in at just a little under two minutes with great pacing, vibe and even a tribal-ish drum pattern towards the end of it, whereas 'Order of the Stone Blade' stands as my personal fav with a menacing lead tremolo riff, it ends with great percussive work, a hugely memorable riff and an energetic flow that can't be topped. The remainder of the songs are all top class too with nothing sounding out of place or being overly long either.
'Dry Spells & Serpent Gods' has a very 'live' or even slightly rehearsal sort of production quality to it, which instantly brings the bands performances back to my mind, this is sort of further enhanced by the fact that many of the songs feature J.G.M. clanking his sticks together at each songs onset. Speaking on that characteristic I wish at least one of the songs would have had J.G.M. announce the songs title as he almost always does during gigs, though this is sort of of represented in the second song by A.A.Q. Nevertheless, the guitar tone is raw, hissy, and as grim as guitars get, which means any and all admirers of the basic and rawer side of the genre should be pleased with this work. Of course, I could be slightly biased in my opinions since I've seen the band play numerous times and these are people I know personally, but either way I wouldn't overlook this release because of these solid facts.
In the end I am quite pleased with 'Dry Spells & Serpent Gods' as its been a regular in my stereo since its release a few weeks ago and I highly anticipate their future creations, which will involve a split with another notably awesome black metal band.
Purchase @ Dread Records
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