Only so often does an album come around that is so true in its intentions, so organic in its delivery and so deliciously evil that listening to it becomes ritualistic. With their debut album, Negate the Infinite and Miraculous, Californian black metallers Pale Chalice have done exactly that. Despite this being their first true emergence in the black metal universe, Pale Chalice have delivered not only one of the purest albums we have heard recently, but one of the most impressive collections of sound we are going to be introduced to for some time.

From start to finish, Pale Chalice offers enough chaotic blast beats, furious tremolo picking runs and shrieking vocals to keep even the purest of black metal followers captivated. “Shaking Nerves and Vacuous Spheres” and “Fragile Bones Cradling Tallow” are two early tracks that violently catapult us into an abyss of emotional anguish and pain. Simply put, they are ensuring us that their awareness of the origins of the genre is unmistakable. But they deliver their sound with so much quality production and musical technicality that a listeners’ appreciation never wanes—even if it is stylistically familiar.

But we haven’t even scratched the surface of Negate yet. There is a consistent willingness to manipulate some of these traditional influences, and their familiarity, to take on paths that are far more melodically meticulous. These sections are fused with a deliberate percussive cadence, allowing the sense of an almost melodic blackened death metal form. With songs ranging in duration from three to eight-minutes, we become accustomed to these transitions not only across tracks, but even within single songs. One of the better examples of this may be “Bound Intransigent Flight”, which starts as we would expect but changes feel at least three or four times over the course of the five minute track. As such, each song maintains its own structure and personality, while keeping the evil intentions underlying it all constantly apparent. It’s still black metal, but there is so much more going on than we may initially realize.

When you reach tracks like “Weltering Depths of the Carrion Wave”, the integration of these deliberate, almost ambient influences takes more of a stance in the interludes, forging an almost enlightening feeling in the middle of all this chaos. The same can be said for “Bent by Carapace Chain,” the subsequent track that continues this experimentation. It’s almost a glimmer of hope in an otherwise perpetually forlorn atmosphere. But the most captivating moments of this album might be the closer. “Stigmatic Glands Through Supernal Rifts” brings back the same entrancing leads that opened this record, but combined with more intensity. It provides a sense of finality to this ritual. It feels as if everything has come full circle. And it does it brilliantly and aggressively.

When all is said and done, Pale Chalice leaves us with 40-plus minutes of black metal that is organic enough to prove their devotion to their genre while simultaneously offering enough stylistic deviation to keep fans of all forms entranced. Negate the Infinite and Miraculous is a musical experience that is rarely equaled. This is black metal. Brilliant, enveloping and dark. But with each listen it naturally evolves, taking on more forms than is initially apparent. It becomes a ritual inspired by complete immersion into the painful darkness that surrounds us from the beginning. Light the candles, pour the wine, let the night wind flow around you and allow yourselves to become lost in all the impressiveness that is Negate the Infinite and Miraculous.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”

– Corey

Negate the Infinite and Miraculous is available June 16th on Gilead Media. For more information on Pale Chalice, visit the band’s official Facebook page.