Metal always has lent itself to the fantastical, creating worlds and stories, sometimes retelling old tales, at other times leaning into a new universe never cracked open before. Think of Immortal’s kingdom of Blashyrkh. Sure, you get the riffs and power and blood you desire, and wrapped into that is a mythology that’s sort of a little secret metal fans can keep within their own cult.
Irish duo Hasturian Vigil—vocalist, guitarist, bassist, synth player Cxaathesz, drummer Shygthoth—bask in both worlds on their stunning debut record “Unveiling the Brac’thal,” an album that lets them create their own mythos and slather those stories all over their mystical blend of magickal black and death metal that’s as captivating as their concept. This is stuff that should resonate among all of metal’s storied generations as they ply you with riffs and incredible lead guitar work, spooky vocals, and dark adventures that creep at every corner. This album sounds like something that could have come out alongside Mercyful Fate’s heyday releases as well as the modern era in which they’re entrenched without anything seeming amiss. This is deeply committed madness, an approach that spills blood and splashes darkness all over your haunted imagination.
“Ikaath the Seven Horned” basks in strange noises, water dripping as if you’re trapped in a cold, dank basement, wild howls disrupting the night. The pace then explodes as the playing blazes, the growls hiss, and the guitars head off to the races, echoes ripping through your sanity. The tempo stampedes as the vocals cut through bone, the playing spirals, and an eerie burning empties your guts, churning to a mystical end. “Apparitions of Torment” unloads sprawling drumming, curdling growls, and a fierce pace that swallows you whole. The attack blinds and storms, the guitars speeding dangerously, blackened fury coating your lungs. A squall blows through as the soloing erupts, the hair is scorched from your flesh, and a disarming gaze mixes with doomy guitars, everything melting into space.
“Nine Bellowing Hounds” erupts with guitars chewing, fires exploding and consuming everything in its wake, the pace crushing as the howls ring in your ears. The soloing erupts as we head into a devastating hairpin turn, blazing and canceling out the brief glimmers of cooler air, threatening any sense of safety. The playing then heads into classic metallic terrain, howls cut through the night, and a synth cloud envelops the earth. Closer “Velvet Paintings Gaze” pounds hard as the growls grip your throat, riffs race, and the sense of savagery gets more pronounced. Buckets of lighter fluid are dumped onto an already raging fire, beastly howls claw their territory, and fluid leads add light to the murk. Dark morbidity multiplies as guitars swarm, keys freeze, and finality sets in and ends your torment.
“Unveiling the Brac’thal” has all the metal tenets a tried-and-true listener would require, and even those who have been dining in the genre’s halls for decades will leave more than satisfied. But there also is a chilling element to Hasturian Vigil that makes you wonder if this work truly is one from creators of this realm at all. This is furious, spooky, and violent, a record that spills guts but also remember to stimulate your imagination in the most twisted manner possible.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/hasturianvigil
To buy the album, go here: https://invictusproductions.net/shop/hasturian-vigil-unveiling-the-bracthal-lp/
For more on the label, go here: https://invictusproductions.net/
Meat Mead Metal 