Luctus / Argharus
Sonitus Caeli Ardent - Split
6.5
I’m going to keep this short and sweet: if you don’t like the rawer side of black metal, you will not like this release. If, however, you like fast, unrelenting, slightly-fuzzed out black/thrash with demonically croaked/shrieked vocals, you more than likely will be all over this split.
Brought to you by the fine folks over at Ledo Takas (home of outstanding pagan/black acts Obtest, Dissimulation, and Urskumug), Sonitus Caeli Ardentis is a collaboration between Luctus and Argharus, two young, promising bands that hail from the small yet potent Lithuanian black metal scene. As is usually seen on split releases, one band’s contribution is better than the other’s. In this instance, Luctus’ effort comes across as a bit stronger than that of Argharus. They contribute six songs to the latter’s four, and launch an impressive thrashy black metal assault underlain with just the right amount of melody and a smidge of frantic hardcore punk (heard mostly in the drumming and breakneck pace). This isn’t melodic in the way that melodeath or metalcore are melodic; this has a deadly bite to it, and could feasibly be compared to Vittra-era Naglfar, with a fuzzier production and a lot more venom. The vocalist is fond of yelling out bits of encouragement to his battalion (“Come on!”s and “UNGH!”s that would make Tompa and Tom G. proud) which lends the bit of punky swagger to the goings-on. If that’s your sort of thing, I’d definitely say to keep an eye on Luctus.
Argharus are more generic. Really, they came across as a weaker version of Luctus! Same general idea, (fast-as-fuck black metal with a thrashy beat and the requisite snarled/spat vocals) just not quite as well-executed. Black metal isn’t exactly known for the high value it places on crystal-clear production values, but the production on these songs isn’t even raw enough to be grim – the words “flat” and “washed-out” come to mind. Not a bad band, not a bad effort – there’s plenty of time for them to step it up and improve. As far as right now goes, if you’re after some brutally fast black/thrash with a little creative flair, I’d recommend skipping this release altogether and picking up Luctus’ last full-length, Ad Arma.
