ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine: Hecate Enthroned/Virulent Rapture/Crank Records/2013 CD Review

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Hecate Enthroned/Virulent Rapture/Crank Records/2013 CD Review

Hecate Enthroned are a band from Wales that has a long history with a musical style i would describe as being symphonic black metal with traces of death metal and this is a review of their 2013 album "Virulent Rapture" which was released by Crank Records.

The album begins with avant garde sounds and a few seconds later the music gets heavier and black metal vocals are added in along with death metal growls and synths and melody and after awhile fast parts and blast beats are added into the music.

As the album progresses it finds a perfect balance between symphonic black metal and death metal and at times clean guitars are added into the music and the album has more melodic than symphonic black metal elements and when t hey mix in death metal it is off the more brutal side of that genre and when spoken words are utilized they bring poetic and epic elements to the recording.

When the symphonic elements are utilized they bring in an orchestra feeling while the band does not really on them not much with this recording and over the years the sound has changed and if there is nothing on this record that sound s like the first 2 albums and on the 6th song female vocals are added into the music.

On this album Hecate Enthroned pick up where they left off 9 years ago and continue their melodic and symphonic black metal mixed with brutal death metal sound and this is a very great sounding comeback album.

Song lyrics cover Satanism, Darkness and Occultism themes, while the production has a very strong, powerful, heavy and professional sound with the bass guitars being mixed down low in the mix as well as some of the songs being very long and epic in length.

In my opinion this is another great sounding recording from Hecate Enthroned and if you are a fan of this band, you should enjoy this album. RECOMMENDED TRACKS INCLUDE "Thrones Of Shadow" "Plagued By Shadows" "Of Witchery And The Blood Moon" and "Paths of Silence". 8/5 out of 10.