The Pitch: Black metal band Délétère return with a concept album devoted to Teredinis, a leper whose calling is to become a prophet of Centipèdes and incarnation of the Plague. On De Horea Leprae, via Sepulchral Productions, "offers 65 minutes of majestic and tortuous black metal full of furor, despair and illumination." FFO: Mgla, Cult of Fire, Death Karma
What I Like: With its haunting organ intro, De Horae Leprae once more opens with strong parallels to Death Karma or Cult of Fire. Only this time, Délétère is prepared to go toe to toe with the big names instead of lingering in their shadow. Seriously, I cannot understate what a massive leap forward this album is from their previous work. I had relatively low expectations going in, but it only took a few minutes of "Cantus I – Teredinis Lepra" to convince me that this was worthy of my time.
I've been turning down more and more black metal lately on the grounds that it just feels like more of the same. It's tiresome to write carbon-copy reviews over and over again. But De Horae Leprae rejuvenates my love of the genre and reminds me why it captured my imagination in the first place. The sound and production are massive, seeming to loom over me from all sides. It's like standing in the eye of a tornado: the destruction around me both terrible and awe-inspiring. The raging, melodic riffs are as woeful as they are destructive, backed by blastbeats that threaten to tear the world asunder.
Critiques: My only minor issue is that this album is a little on the long side. However, even this is veiled in a compliment as they carry the runtime quite well. While many BM groups opt to drag out a songs length with endless repetition, Délétère generally keep things interesting from start to finish.
The Verdict: De Horae Leprae is a stunning black metal opus that demonstrates a massive amount of growth in just a year's time. Délétère have done their homework, and the result may very well be one of the best black metal albums of 2018. I highly encourage you to pick this one up.
Flight's Fav's: Teredinis Lepra, Sagina Caedendis, Barathra II
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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