On paper, Hæresiarchs of Dis and his third full-length opus In the Obsecration of the Seven Darks sound pretty enticing: furious, chaotic black metal with occasional tendencies towards haunting ambient soundscapes. The outcome, then, is not exactly that marvellous due to some critical glitches in the musical coherency of this 51-minute beast.
Atmospherically, In the Obsecration of the Seven Darks is rather well done: listening to the album is quite a damn trip through audial insanity where discordant and seemingly constantly changing guitar chords lead the way, backed up by a plethora of fast drum beats and a heavy dose of synths in the background. The only problem sound-wise resides in the drums that are either triggered too heavily or programmed too harassingly (with all the new technology I’m not sure which one it is), resulting in an overpowered snare sound which is a big minus on an album that relies so heavily on overall atmosphere.
...because compositionally, these nine tracks have little to offer, unfortunately. The balance between metal and (chaotic) ambient is pretty much 50-50, but neither of the band’s styles truly capture any fantastic ideas. At times, the melodies and riffs seem like they were improvised on the go, and with not that mind-blowing results. "Ensorcelled by Khaos" - originally an Emperor track - is a surprising choice of cover, but I do see a little resemblance between the bands, especially in Cernunnos’ high-pitched vocals.
In the Obsecration of the Seven Darks is, in the end, an album that does not tire me, but neither does it trigger any proper emotions in me. It’s a shame to give a rather negative rating to an effort that is, for the most part, thoughtfully done and rich in textures, but it isn’t simply enough. With a few main problems fixed, this could turn into a much more enjoyable ride. Perhaps with his next album, then.
Atmospherically, In the Obsecration of the Seven Darks is rather well done: listening to the album is quite a damn trip through audial insanity where discordant and seemingly constantly changing guitar chords lead the way, backed up by a plethora of fast drum beats and a heavy dose of synths in the background. The only problem sound-wise resides in the drums that are either triggered too heavily or programmed too harassingly (with all the new technology I’m not sure which one it is), resulting in an overpowered snare sound which is a big minus on an album that relies so heavily on overall atmosphere.
...because compositionally, these nine tracks have little to offer, unfortunately. The balance between metal and (chaotic) ambient is pretty much 50-50, but neither of the band’s styles truly capture any fantastic ideas. At times, the melodies and riffs seem like they were improvised on the go, and with not that mind-blowing results. "Ensorcelled by Khaos" - originally an Emperor track - is a surprising choice of cover, but I do see a little resemblance between the bands, especially in Cernunnos’ high-pitched vocals.
In the Obsecration of the Seven Darks is, in the end, an album that does not tire me, but neither does it trigger any proper emotions in me. It’s a shame to give a rather negative rating to an effort that is, for the most part, thoughtfully done and rich in textures, but it isn’t simply enough. With a few main problems fixed, this could turn into a much more enjoyable ride. Perhaps with his next album, then.
2 / 5
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