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DEMON SACRIFICE
Under The Blacklight Of Divine EP

Ironbound (2024)
Rating: 7/10

Beginning like some rainy 80s British goth rock track, ‘Summoning From The Abyss’ is the first track from this debut EP from intriguing Indonesian band Demon Sacrifice. The occult cover art has all the fiendish lashings of a doom or death metal release, but musically Under The Blacklight Of Divine has more in common with a punky black metal.

When ‘Summoning From The Abyss’ eventually kicks into gear is still remains a deeply Gothic pulse, but with remote throaty gurgles added to its layers. ‘Haunting Night’ is more a standard galloping black fuzz, although the drums act as a rather annoying click rather than anything striking. Even so, the band maintains an unorthodox and primitive air to their blustery motions. It’s a shame then that the irritating drum clicks remain throughout, and is even more evident on the title track.

That flaw aside, Demon Sacrifice shift towards a first wave of black metal intensity depicting raw vocal gasps and primitive guitars. It’s not a world away from the underground South American scene of yesteryear, so fans of that style of cavernous, choking war metal will no doubt feast upon this like a pack of hyenas savaging an antelope.

After a short instrumental (‘The Praise Of Death And Never Ending Darkness’), ‘All Shall Perish’ closes the EP. Fuelled by Blasphemy, Bathory and just about every punk-spiked heap of satanic black thrash, the track gallops with a frenzy before disappearing into its thick plumes of acidic smoke. Tried and tested yes, but this release is still a tumult of terror to behold.

Neil Arnold

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