NECROSTRIGIS – RELICS OF BLOOD RITES SORCERY LP (Discipline)

Necrostrigis cultivates a guitar sound almost like a chainsaw buzzing through flesh on ‘Relics Of Blood Rites Sorcery’, a raw and catchy-as-all-fuck volume of work, which is vastly superior to virtually every record churned out by the world’s bigger and better-known Black Metal acts. Here is proof positive that smaller labels will generally produce all the best Black Metal!

Originally an EP but boosted up to veritable full-length status with the inclusion of a few bonus tracks for the vinyl edition, this is about as humble and modest as BM records come. Although the music is very much of the deepest underground, there are plenty of cool, ancient, tribal passages and ambient touches which render this simple-but-effective record a joy to listen to.

The label has included all the lyrics from the original release inside the fold-over sleeve and additional lyrics are printed on a small white page thrown in for good measure. There is nothing at all sophisticated about what Wolfvamphyr brings to the table here, but – easily on a par with early (free-from-bullshit) Graveland – ‘Relics Of Blood Rites Sorcery’ is fantastic in every conceivable way.

Hark, the wolves they howl.

Evilometer: 666/666