Over the course of my life—and especially over the last few years—I’ve heard numerous takes on black metal emerging from around the world. It’s a sub-genre that lends itself to diversity and experimentation, allowing for plenty of regional influences to take hold in a band’s sound. However, one area that I have failed to explore with any significance is the Mediterranean. It just isn’t an area I think about when the words “grim” or “kvlt” come to mind. Well, Abhor have proven me ignorant. With Rituale Stramonium, we are offered a sound that is more organic and pure than anything I’ve heard in quite some time.

Formed way back in 1995 in Veneto, Italy, Abhor have released five previous full-lengths, most recently 2011’s Ab Luna Lucenti, ab Noctua Protecti. Despite the mixed reviews that album received, the last four years have allowed the band to conceive and implement a follow-up that is undeniably impressive. There is no question that Rituale Stramonium will leave quite the mark on Abhor’s 20th year, being one of the most complete albums in Abhor’s discography… and the overall recent black metal scene.

Brilliantly raw in production, Rituale takes us on an unforgiving ride to the intersection of beauty and hatred almost immediately. The mid-tempo cadence of “Between Flames and Moon” is one often revisited throughout the album, but it’s the way the symphonic atmosphere weaves within these galloping rhythms that really make this album captivating. It’s this aspect of the sound that ties everything together to create the environment that so many black metal bands aspire for, yet fail to reach. All these elements can be found at the outset, but a similar fusion of sounds is also available at the entry stages of “The Chant of the Owl,” the longest and most melodic song on the album. (Though, to be fair, the song offers a wide range of sounds over the course of its nine minutes.) Combined with the harsh guttural vocals—and the occasional touches of high-pitched shrieks and sobering clean bellows—there is no denying this thing’s darkness or legitimacy as a black metal record.

All that in mind, Ritualia is a more complex listen than it may appear on the surface level. The tempos take introspectively deliberate forms on the likes of “I… The Witch,” “De Exorcismis et Supplicantionibus Quibusdam,” and “Soul’s Poison,” where the weight of the bass really starts to wear into the listener. Combined with the ever present keyboards, these tracks have a murky blackness to them that surround us in themes of satanic worship and witchcraft. While maybe not maintaining as much pace as some of their northern counterparts, they use their willingness to experiment with time changes to their advantage. But that’s not to say we don’t get the occasional moments of added intensity. About two-thirds of the way through the album we get “Circle of Stones,” where the music’s relentless weight combines with an added pace to create a numbing ferocity. The blast beats become more pronounced and the vocals more echoing, especially early on. If you were looking for a track that could inspire motion or spark a more explosive feeling of anger, this is it. Regardless, the personality of the album remains intact throughout, which is a tribute to how well the symphonic phrases, vocals, and production really tie it all together.

I can’t completely wrap this up without paying some tribute to the album artwork. The fact is, it’s absolutely brilliant. It’s a trip back to the early ’90s that would make the founders of the genre proud. The colors of the band name are pronounced, the framing around the image is perfect, and then there’s the photograph itself… The female laying naked, cross around her neck, surrounded by candles. It’s everything it needs to be and nothing more. It might remind you of a time in black metal from the past in its architecture, but that’s a good thing.

All told, this is one of the purest, most complete black metal albums you will hear this year or otherwise. Abhor stays in touch with the roots of the genre while simultaneously offering their own fulfilling sound layered with raw emotion. It is a cohesively complex work that has already begun to grow with time. As a result, I invite you all to light some candles, grab a glass of wine, put aside all distractions, and let Abhor lead you into the darkness they have created on Rituale Stramonium.

“Ein Bier… bitte.”

– Corey

Ritualia Stramonium is available now on Moribund Records. For more information on Abhor, visit the band’s official Facebook page.

Live. Love. Plow. Horns Up.