‘Despoblador Ii’ is the second opus in the ‘Despoblador’ trilogy that Spanish Parásito started in 2024. The first album was released through Vertebrae in Spain; the second is also being handled by Signal Rex.
After three split releases with fellow Madrid band Molbol, with whom it shares a member, Black Metal / Dark Ambient act Parásito at last put out their debut album ‘Despoblador’ (Spanish for ‘Depopulator’), the recording having been two years in the making.
Parásito draws heavily from early–mid 1990s Norwegian Black Metal, filtered through a Spanish underground sensibility and a one‑man, ritualistic approach.
Lyrical contents are mostly about existential despair, inner collapse, alienation, survival through self‑deception.
Bleakness, a very intense musicianship: a seamless introduction of elements such as Ambient, Drone synth and even cinematic influences seem to require a lot of time.
But the result is here: the album continues where the first ‘Despoblador’ ended. There are 6 tracks on this release, including an intro and outro and after a few listening sessions it can be concluded that Parásito managed to come up with a worthy successor to the first album.
‘Despoblador’ Ii unfolds as a raw and unfiltered continuation of Parásito’s bleak inner narrative, rooted firmly in the orthodox Black Metal tradition while refusing to feel like a mere exercise in nostalgia. The album moves with a deliberate sense of hostility, driven by abrasive riffing and a production that feels intentionally stripped of comfort, allowing every rasped vocal line and jagged guitar phrase to cut through with unsettling clarity.
There is a constant tension between furious momentum and moments of suspended darkness, where repetition becomes hypnotic rather than stagnant, reinforcing the feeling of being trapped in an inescapable mental space. The performances feel intensely personal, as if the music is less about spectacle and more about endurance, dragging the listener through cycles of despair and resignation. Vocals emerge as ritualistic howls rather than narrative guides, reinforcing the album’s existential weight instead of explaining it. Despite its rawness, the songwriting shows restraint and purpose, avoiding excess while maintaining a suffocating atmosphere that never loosens its grip. ‘Despoblador Ii’ stands as a focused and uncompromising statement, channeling the spirit of early Black Metal through a distinctly personal lens, and asserting Parásito as a project that values authenticity, inner collapse, and emotional abrasion over accessibility or trend-driven polish.
In the end, ‘Despoblador Ii’ does not seek resolution or catharsis, nor does it offer any sense of escape from the suffocating world it constructs. Instead, it embraces collapse as a state of being, allowing the album to end not with closure but with exhaustion and quiet resignation.
This refusal to soften its message or dilute its intent reinforces the project’s integrity, positioning Parásito firmly within the lineage of Black Metal that values inner truth over external validation. The record stands as a bleak but honest document of persistence through despair, one that lingers long after its final moments, not because it demands attention, but because it leaves the listener alone with the same unanswered weight that drives its creation.
Burzum, Craft, Armagedda, Deathspell Omega, Blut Aus Nord, Irae and Mons Veneris: all thrown into the crucible where a magnificent album was forged. Parásito is a work of raw emotion, and abrasive Black Metal that tramples and exceeds all limitations that are usually affiliated to the genre.
Those who have the debut or have material from Parásito won’t hesitate; others who are fans of this type of music need to get their hands on a copy after listening to it through the appropriate channels.
