ARS VENEFICIUM – The Abyss

We don't need to say too much about Ars Veneficium: they hail from Belgium and were formed in 2013, they are four and play Black Metal. The EP we will be talking about is entitled "The Abyss" and is the very first effort by this band, released last year limited to five hundred copies thanks to their fellow countrymen from Immortal Frost Productions.

As for their style, the quartet's formula is pretty simple to identify: relatively classic Black Metal, fast, aggressive, and furious, largely founded on the fierce impact of its attack. This record is indeed an almost perennial up-tempo (apart from the more morbid and slowed-down approach heard in "Torment Feeds The Act Of Satan", perhaps the best track on here), and the drums probably result quite monotonous at times, but all in all functional to the band's intentions, venomous and acid vocals just like they should be. In short, this is fully fledged Black Metal, in case you were still wondering.

In addition, we can point out how the clear Swedish background repeatedly leaves room to several glimpses of deadly and exquisitely sulphuric melodies that show another face of their compositional attitude. This definitely represent the most interesting feature of a work that doesn't really add much to its genre, but can certainly be enjoyed — although such a word might be a bit out of context here.

Someone might argue that we don't really need albums like this in 2015 — and frankly I wouldn't know how to reply to such statements — but still I can't find a reason not to recommend you go spend some twenty-odd minutes together with Satan, Black Metal, and this humble and far from pretentious record.