Clavicula – The Numinous Key [Demo]

On this occasion, I have the pleasure of delving into the dark world created by Aklthöstz, an artist from Austria who has unleashed his first sonic attack on the underground with his band, Clavicula. I must confess that I love it when musicians from other latitudes use Spanish names for their projects or bands.

The demo, invoked under the name ‘The Numinous Key’, has a duration of no more than 20 minutes. It opens its ignominious jaws with ‘The Key’, a track that begins with a short introduction reminiscent of an old movie soundtrack. Raspy, dissonant guitars unfold, foreshadowing the storm that will soon be unleashed. Annihilated under the yoke and intensity of the drums, the jagged guitars deliver great riffs that remind me of those the Germans Katharsis vomited in the past. These are bombastic, proud riffs with variations, but always frenetic. From minute 4:39, a riff emerges like a monument of worship, leading this key toward other black dimensions. This is a great opening without a doubt, leaving everything ready for ‘The Great Shadow’ to send everything to shit. With its catchy Black and roll rhythm, the song incites the listener to beat their brains. Due to the moving nature of this attack, which isn’t so demanding in its execution, the drums ride at a firm pace, without the slight stumbles they had in the previous track. I find some signs of Craft’s influence becoming evident in the compositional patterns. The track balances in D-beat rhythms, and on the eve of its end, this rhythm increases with good speed and sustained chaos, rocking between sharp rhythmic scales before finally dying with a short outro.

To close, my favorite song of the demonstration is crowned with the name ‘Perennial Fire’. This attack enjoys the best Black Metal riffs and rhythms in all their black glory. Being an 8-minute monster, it is well-balanced with verse repetitions and a mix of rhythms that keep the line of intensity from getting lost. From minute 3:50, the bestial passages of the track are hammered by the D-beat, interspersed with half-time parts on the drums, but with the riffs following their continuous speed pattern until they fall into the clutches of rhythmic dissonances accompanied by the abysmal pulse of the drums. It’s as if it were a prediction of what is coming. A cut with the announcement of the guitars, and the black storm returns. This complete track closes the demo with an outro evoking and projecting the visualization of Uroboros biting its tail!