To say that the Matru-Zebu demo released earlier this year impressed me is a gross understatement. The mash-up of first wave, Hellenic and Finnish Black Metal from the 90’s was striking in its ritualistic and entrancing manner. And within the same year of the demo we are treated to ‘Ululations Before the Forbidden Teraphim’, the band’s first full-length presented once again by Ancien Culte on tape (with an LP version coming later through His Wounds).
In principle ‘Ululations Before the Forbidden Teraphim’ picks up where the ‘Blood Cries with Sorrow’ ended. The main influences on this full-length are still firmly rooted in the 80’s and early 90’s. Ultra-stripped down in complexity, it is perhaps not as obviously in the vein of Beherit and Barathrum as the demo, but the influence of Samael, Bestial Summoning, Mortuary Drape, Necromantia and Varathron is undeniable. The bareboned Black Metal is combined with creepy incantatory riffs and throaty vocals, which are then contrasted with straightforward background keys and clean chanting. Within the stripped down sound, there is a clear role for the bass, though it’s not as dominant as, say Barathrum. But still, the balance between the clean and hoarse vocals, the bass, the guitars, percussion and keyboards is excellent: somewhat raw, but mostly incredibly authentic sounding.
With ‘Profound Eternal Abyss’ the album starts off in an atmospheric and ritualistic manner, where the keyboards and clean vocals excel. ‘Sleeping in the Utmost North’ is then very much in the vein of early Samael. with back and forth riffs, it has a sharper and more piercing character, both in pace and prominence of the guitars. Likewise, ‘Prophecy and Premonition Part I’ upholds a firm pace and has a strong resemblance with a band like Kêres. The subsequent Part II is then a bit more adorned with lead melodies, although the way the melodic lead ends in dissonant notes is fascinating. ‘Down in Hell’ is more subcutaneous, where the hoarse vocals add a sense of darkness while the minimal keys and clean chants add an almost yearning atmosphere. In ‘Voice of the Creatrix’ we find a mixture of more groovy riffs and long-stretched vocal roars, alternated with more open, keyboard-led parts that remind me of Frozen Graves. After the typically Finnish ‘Encountering Sorrow‘, ‘Black Fate Awaits the Souls of Satan’ end the record in an open, almost epic manner with plenty of melancholy. Needless to say, for bareboned old school Black Metal, Matru-Zebu has plenty to offer.
The duel of the hoarse shrieks and clean chants, the uptempo drums and minimalistic guitar riffs against the straightforward keys: the Matru-Zebu demo was absolutely fantastic and ‘Ululations Before the Forbidden Teraphim‘ just takes it one step further. Ritualistic old school Black Metal done superbly! Mandatory stuff if you like old Greek Black Metal, early 90’s Finnish Black Metal, first wave bands like Samael, and all the more recent bands that were inspired by these bands.
