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Band: Argesh
Album title: Excommunica
Release date: 14 September 2021
Label: Nero Corvino Records
Genre: Epic Black Metal, Avant-Garde Black Metal, Black/Death Metal
Tracklist:
01. Abiura
02. Suffocate In Oxygen
03. Source Of Miracles
04. Praelatorum Pedophilia
05. Apocalypse 20.7-8-9
06. The Elohim's Mark
Italy has recently become very strong in black metal with some high-quality and original bands who have nothing to hide before the Scandinavian big names. One of them that stands out are the newcomers Argesh. The first sign of their existence comes in form of the debut full-length named Excommunica, which was in the making for more than five years. Even though that Argesh can't pride oneself on the length, as this six tracker has a playing time only of about 31 minutes, Excommunica shines because of its dark atmosphere, epic extremity, intensity and technical mastery. The trio together with many notable guests made an intriguing yet majestic piece of dark art, which they call apostate black metal. The gates of hell are opening...
HHG (guitars, drums, vocals), Il Rakshasa (guitars, lyrics) and Azghal (bass, orchestration), made a dynamic album full of variations. It's a bleak excursion dealing with themes such as spirituality, moral corruption, dogmas, restrictions, hypocrisy and similar. If you are into black/death of masters of the genre Behemoth and savagery of Aosoth, symphonic black orchestrations of Dimmu Borgir, avant-garde black technical skills of Deathspell Omega or Blut Aus Nord, and more melodic epic black metal in the vein of Mephorash and Immortal, then this album will bring you the necessary dose of enjoyable darkness.
Excommunica sounds modern but yet it owes a lot to the second wave of black metal. There are many evocative epic moments, blasting blackened death metal parts, heavy background orchestrations and many vocal variations thanks to four guest vocalists. From typical but good black metal shrieks to growls and well inserted clean vocals, the songs on this album never get boring or repetitive. Furious and well-controlled guitar lines, tremolo picks, interesting leads, thunderous yet technical drumming, thick, vibrant and ravaging bass lines, many captivating melodic lines, and sometimes unusual song structures are the focal point. The final candle gets lit by incandescently dark and atmospheric keys that add in many segments a certain depth and enrich the whole sonic mass.
The album nicely opens up with ritualistic horror tones of intro "Abiura". It continues with a dynamic melodic and vibrant blast named "Suffocate In Oxygen", a track that brings in mind the most extreme version of Dimmu Borgir and can be marked as one of the highlights on Excommunica. "Source Of Miracles" is an example of how to do complex, progressive, avant-garde style of black metal, built on technically perfective strange epic structures. The blackened attack continues with intense "Praelatorum Pedophilia". Melody and chaos are intertwined here in the most accessible yet cataclysmic form with a certain rageful thrash/death undertone before closing up in a majestic blackened doom manner. This track reminds me a bit of the old and forgotten Italian black/death metal band Cenotaph. Argesh can play with some electronic/industrial samples, and show this at the beginning of "Apocalypse 20.7-8-9". This cosmic yet cinematic track will bring fans of Deathspell Omega and early Aborym on their knees. Without any compromise, no deep breath taken, just well-controlled dark extremity that gets its creative peak in the epic closing track "The Elohim's Mark". Driving melodic guitars, speeding yet captivating rhythmic lines, great vocals, and overall evocative song structure makes this one the epitome of Excommunica.
Argesh have stepped out from the shadows with a meticulous work of blackened art. If epic black metal with avant-garde compositional structures, progressive attitude and many interesting additions is your thing, then this Italian trio is a band worth checking out. The listener will be driven away by its density and will get some shivers down the spine because of its unusual addictive drive and high dynamics. Excommunica is a top-notch black metal release for fans of diverse blackened sound, and yet it comes with powerful modern and clean production. Ok, those goats on the front cover artwork are not something original, neither I can't find much resemblance with otherwise intriguing lyrics, but yet it fits well with the obscure devilish nature of the music. Yes, the gates of hell are opening again, and Argesh proudly stands at the portal of it.
The review was written by Tomaz
Rating: 8/10
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