A tendency that often proves to be reliable source material of good black metal is when newer acts take the basic foundations of the second wave — a style very much tread and retread to the point of boredom at this point, at least in its most archaic forms — and infuse it with just enough of something fresh, making the entire package feel both familiar as well as new and exciting. Taking this baseline sound of the ’90s legends from Norway and placing melodic leads and solos at the forefront, Portuguese solo act Onirik has crafted a release nearly as whimsical (for lack of a better word) as it is hellish in Curling Serpents Under Stone.

2022 was a big year in my personal musical development. Not only did I join the Nine Circles crew late in the year, but an album was released that completely rewired my brain in regards to how I perceive black metal — specifically how melody and lead playing can present itself in a genre not always suited for it. This album was of course Death and the Twilight Hours by Predatory Light, an album probably second only to Far Away from the Sun in the number of times I’ve had to have referenced it here at this point. Rest assured I will continue referring to both in the future! Since those bastardized heavy-cum-black metal leads first graced my ears I’ve been searching for music that scratches the same itch, and Curling Serpents Under Stone is the latest (and best) thus far.

The star element of Onirik’s G. Rex is his infectious leads and solos (often feeling one and the same, much light Twilight Hours) that had me taking notice right from the first single “All Is Hell, Hell Is All” for the fact that they aren’t riffs in the traditional sense of black metal; both in terms of sound and the place they occupy within the composition of individual songs. Just as Predatory Light presented a darker take on heavy metal twin guitar leads, Onirik showcase something similar, yet feeling more archaic; think a hellish counterpart to Obsequiae, emerald streams and misty castle ruins replaced with corpse-filled rivers and the stench of death in the air (if the swirling maelstrom of fire and ash that brought about this destruction sounds more your speed, don’t miss out on Onirik’s previous release The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity). Tendrils of ascending and descending scales guide the listener through this sonic landscape in a manner that’s often lilting and bouncy, such as on “Night of Nights.” Not exactly descriptors fitting of a nightmare hellscape, but G. Rex rides the line between light and dark with great deftness. A cursory listen nearly gives the impression that the lead guitars are improvised, but it’s the tight interplay between these dark leads and the supporting elements that really brings Curling Serpents Under Stone to the next level.

Existing just below the devilishly melodic guitar lines is a potent mix of warm, prominent bass and lightly symphonic keyboards (Emperor or Odium this is not); the latter have proved to be the most pleasantly surprising element of all due to the way in which they alternate between providing a background atmosphere, following the lead guitars (“Undertaker of Men”), or joining the bass in a mid-tempo waltz (“To My Last Day on Earth”). It wouldn’t be a trve ’90s-inspired album without some dungeon synth, and the bombastic intro of the title track leads into perhaps the first real example of more straightforward second wave riffing; even these Transilvanian Hunger-esque riffs eventually turn toward more off-kilter interplay between the lead guitars, bass, and keyboards. This reintroduction of classic riffs over halfway through the album serves as a triumphant reminder of where this all started, and hits much harder in this fashion than if it had been the opening track. Funnily enough, the most classic aspect of the entire sound — the rhythm guitars — are mostly buried in the mix courtesy of labelmate Gabriele Gramaglia (Cosmic Putrefaction, Vertebra Atlantis), but this undoubtedly had to be a conscious choice to let the rest of the sound flourish. This was absolutely the right call.

G. Rex cites numerous legends of ’90s Norwegian black metal as the inspiration for this album — Satyricon, Ved Buens Ende, Isengard, Darkthrone, and Emperor — and it’s pretty impressive how different this album sounds thanks to its adventurous melodicism and intertwined compositions, something many modern acts citing the same bands should take note of. The works of those bands can never be replicated in anything but an inferior form, so why not build upon them to create something well beyond those confines? Onirik has done this in spades on Curling Serpents Under Stone, not only serving as a near-perfect example of the kind of niche sound I’ve been searching for myself but a damn fine album in its own right.

— Colin

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Curling Serpents Under Stone will be available May 30 through I, Voidhanger Records. For more information on Onirik, check out their Facebook page.