Every metal fan knows that Black Metal found its raw, dark, low budget origins in the vast cold of the Scandinavian peninsula of Northern Europe. Somewhere along the lines, that harsh brutality found its way across the Atlantic, took up residence in the Windy City of Chicago, and bore Ezurate and their brand of “Pure Armafuckingeddon Soulraping Black Metal” to unsuspecting ears. Their newest release, “Eve of Desecration” rightfully out on Rotting Corpse records, is an hour of ear splitting black metal that is squarely derived from is Scandinavian ancestors and contemporaries.
If you dare venture down this dark path of metal mayhem, make sure you come prepared. You’ll quickly find yourself trying to keep up with their demonic pace and gut wrenching changes in pace from fast to sonic. Fortunately for them, they don’t suffer from the lack of production that so many bands in the genre do. Their guitars, although distorted, are crisp and the drum work doesn’t sound like someone is just banging away to create a wall of sound. Vocalist Holocausto’s shrieks and growls aren’t lost in the mix and can be utterly petrifying as in the track “For I Am Thee Almighty” when he screeches “I am Satan” during the chorus. That track also features a few solid guitar solos.
Much of the album is cut from your typical Black Metal cloth but doesn’t sound tired. 1349’s influence comes to the surface time and time again but it doesn’t dominate their sound or group them into sounding like a rehashed version of the Norwegian outfit. Some moments are cliché, as noted with the “I am Satan” lyrics mentioned above, and others do get a little too ambitious with speed and take away from their skill. In truth, it’s not often an underground band in the genre has such a quality sound and I give them credit for taking the effort to record on the cleaner side than being overly distorted for the purposes of staying “true” to the Black Metal form.
Notable tracks include “Destroying Divinity,” “For I Am Thee Almighty,” and “The Black Cross of Berziers.” Each of these showcases the band’s abilities and talents and is a solid example of why they’ve come this far. For the casual Black Metal fan, “Eve of Desecration” will most likely be overlooked in favor of a better known name, but as for the underground lurker, this is a worthwhile listen. Ezurate know how to craft a quality album and should be given the notoriety they deserve.