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Irae – Lurking in the Depths

irae – lurking in the depths

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Black Metal might have erupted from the boiling depths of Hell, in Norway, but it quickly spread to the whole World, without asking questions and making no prisoners. Portugal, birthplace of the artist that follows, had its Black Metal scene quick off In the beginning of the 90s by bands you are all acquainted with: Decayed, Moonspell (yes) and Filii Nigrantium Infernalium. Since then, Black Metal has evolved towards different (and multiple) directions and perspectives. Like the genre itself, Irae, or better yet, Vulturius, has taken his outlook on Black Metal to various levels. I have been following his growth almost since when he first started with Irae – Flamma Aeterna came to my knowledge a bit later – and I have been following almost all of his projects: the ones we know he is part of, and the ones we are not supposed to know he is part of…

“Lurking in the Depths” is Irae’s newest offering, and what an album it is. 8 tracks, 8 pieces of Black Metal. Vulturius always stated that he would play whatever he felt he needed to play, no trends, no nothing, and you can hear that in this last one. “Ratazanas” was a track that struck me as “wow, this is Irae?”, and that came to be one of my favourite tracks on this record, mostly since it goes a bit out of Irae’s sphere, in a way. He has been, for years, one of those musicians I always saw as true to the genre, to the so-called guidelines by which Black Metal is driven. Sort of “walk the talk” sort of situation. And he did it again, ladies and gents. “Ratazanas” is a slow driven track, a Darkthronian/Celtic Frostian composition… it’s amazing! How will it sound live?

I remember when “The Old Ways” came out, and the first thing that hit me was the production! It did not sound like Irae, it was closer to what The Black Circle bands were doing – and I got an “answer” from the man himself regarding that ahahah – which was not bad, of course, but it did suck a bit of Irae’s personality. Overall, it was a great release, something he had got us used to, of course, but it lacked that something…

This time around things have this different “taste”, and Vulturius returned with an amazing strength! Ok, I am biased. I love the Portuguese (Raw) Black Metal scene and I tend to love everything the man jumps into, so it was an easy win, per se. Overall… it is Irae, and that should be enough for those that know his craft. For those that do not know his craft, imagine 90s Black Metal, true to the roots of the genre (1st wave, 2nd wave, 3rd wave… pfff, “tags”). Shifting from Portuguese to English, from mid paced to faster riffs, “Lurking…” takes you on a ride, a diversified one, without leaving the Realm of Black Metal. It’s Cold and Foggy (Serra de Sintra? Look it up, mates… I can see it from here, almost ahahah), it’s filled with Hate and Death. It’s Vultirius. Along with the other The Black Circle bands (Mons Veneris, Rainha Cólera, Vetala and Decripitude), Irae has been lurking in the shadows for many years, shaping his sound, moulding his trade… dare to dwell into his teachings. (DanielP)

Signal Rex

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