Latrodectus
Altered Flesh
6.5
There seems to be an ongoing black metal epidemic in France. For the second time in as many weeks I get to take a look at an emerging BM band from the land of wine and cheese. Last week was the symphonic stylings of Destinity, and now it's the mid-paced, more traditional, black metal of Latrodectus (scientifically speaking - the black widow spider). Just as with Destinity, these guys play solid and interesting metal. Overall, their sound on Altered Flesh is like a less-epic Immortal, with subtle, unobtrusive keys sprinkled over intense drumming and riffage. Vocally, Count Necurat (I love these BM names) has a throaty growl that's been run through some processing to give it a little touch of that robotic, throat-cancer-voice-box sound. Like if Stephen Hawking went metal or something. His vocal delivery, at times, is fast and chanty, as if the Count is casting an evil spell on the unsuspecting peasants - good stuff. Crom's guitar creates an atmosphere of impending evil, complemented by Likk's keys. The rhythm section of Arkkwolf and Skyvv is tight, as is expected, although the basswork is drowned out by the production. You can hear that it's there, but you can't really tell what it's doing. Quite a few of the songs sound alike, but a few rise to the top. Maelstrom hits quickly with some pounding riffage and a killer thrash break at 2:10 and pummeling drumming throughout. Naked Realm also displays Latrodectus' thrash influences between the blasting verses. The Being's Damnation sets a great mood with nifty piano passages and haunting, clean vocal chants. Alone acts as an intermission, featuring organ-like, atmospheric keys and hypnotic guitaring. Consumed by the Extrinsic Substance is slightly slower, but more satisfying and diverse. As mentioned earlier, Altered Flesh is a solid, mid-paced album of corpse-painted mayhem. Latrodectus are not the revolutionary saviors that the genre has been searching for, but this is still an album worth checking out.
