RSS Feed


THRONE OF SACRILEGE / IMPURIUM
Unleashing A Cacophony Of Destruction (Split EP)

Orchestrated Misery Recordings (2014)
Rating: 7/10

Unleashing A Cacophony Of Destruction is a six-track split project featuring two ferocious American black metal acts, namely Throne Of Sacrilege and Impurium. Throne Of Sacrilege came together in 2012, this being their first appearance, while Impurium formed in 2008 but didn’t release debut demo Ad Secular Impurium until 2012.

Throne Of Sacrilege features vocalist Shaun Albro, bassist / guitarist Rob Knoph and sticksman Dan Klein. The Impurium line-up is comprised of vocalist / guitarist Andrew Mote, who is accompanied by his guitarist / bassist brother Aaron and drummer Dave Ross.

The first three tracks of this release belong to Throne Of Sacrilege, who open with ‘Sacrilegious Impalement’ which features a short piece of eerie narration and then the full, cold air blast of this threesome. This is some super-fast black metal delivered with such evil ferocity that I’m once again reminded as to why US black metal should be taken seriously. The seething vocal sneers, the crushing drums of hostile haste and a surprising level of weight means that ‘Sacrilegious Impalement’ is a damn fine, straight down the line deathly black metal rush of blood to the severed head of mankind. It’s a track with some scorching mid-tempo chugginess too, as is ‘Upon Cloven Hooves’ which begins in atmospheric fashion before jumping into a pacey gallop and then lowering its tempo into a despicable churn.

The band appears comfortable veering off into an almost death metal-styled assault, particularly with the vocals which range from a typical black metal spit to a more guttural cough.

The band’s stint ends with ‘As The Black Wind Howls’, which has a thrashier approach – particularly in the volatile percussion – but there’s a killer riff hidden within that hectic cacophony, although first and foremost this is a relentless, scathing attack on the ears.

Next up we have Impurium’s ‘Again We Freeze’, which continues the blasphemous mayhem. Fast, furious, aggressive and with a drum sporting eight arms, this is thrashing black metal with frothing vocal rasps yet with a hint of delicious black melody. It’s all encased within that framework of hate, but then again so is ‘’Til Midgard’ – another rattling good listen. Impurium are just a tad more polished of the two acts, particularly in their guitar sprint. Vocally, it’s all still hideous though; the nasty, crackling voice just becomes an extra instrument to convey the building seas of torment.

Impurium finishes up with their best track; ‘Ad Secular Impurium’ is a six-minute affair that comes galloping in with a catchy riff and bony bass. In fact, it seems like a different band; tuneful and hinting at a traditional thrash stance before it turns into the usual Slayer-esque battering ram of speed, wild lunatic drumming and a guitar sound that worms feverishly. And once the spiteful vocals make themselves known, the track becomes another vile wall of sound.

This split project seems an ideal pairing as both artists are insistent on that vengeful tirade to boost their sound, and so Throne Of Sacrilege and Impurium are worth keeping an eye on with their future releases.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share