Portugal’s Onirik has been offering its own take on black metal since 2002, but it was with 2015’s Casket Dream Veneration that founder Gonius Rex transformed the project from more traditional raw black metal into twisting and turning instrumentation that was equal parts entrancing and nightmarish with its dissonant riffs. It was fairly cleaner in tone but no less haunting and proved to be one of that year’s best metal albums, leaving me waiting for a follow-up. Aside from a split with Grimfaug in 2017 Onirik has been quiet since, with this year’s The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity breaking the silence in truly dramatic fashion. Retaining the emphasis on repetitive, entrancing riffs but bringing back the rawness and abrasiveness of his earlier discography, Gonius Rex has once again written black metal that will stick with listeners willing to dive in and explore.
One of the first things you’ll notice about The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity is how much noisier and dense it is than its predecessor. Rather than coming in with a softer introduction, “Cult Beyond Eternity” comes roaring in with layer upon layer of scorching riffs that feel like they cut at your skin with every twist and turn. There’s still a hypnotic effect to the way the instrumentation is layered, as the melodies tend to weave in and out of the abrasive base in ways that lull you even as the flames swirl all around. At times the fluid nature of the writing is reminiscent of Negative Plane or some of the older, more esoteric variants of black metal, but Onirik still pulls everything together into a way that feels different. The material spends equal amount of time moving along at a much faster, destructive pace and much slower, almost funeral dirge like paces, stretching the limits of black metal outwards. Given just how abrasive and noisy the instrumentals are this album is likely to be a bit less accessible than Casket Dream Veneration, as it tends to blur together into a feverlike state of warped guitar melodies and feedback, but those willing to dive beneath the surface will discover particular sections that stick with them for some time to come. Songs like “Melodies of Reflection and Praise” are perfect examples of the almost suffocating levels of atmosphere Onirik can reach, as they invite you in with mysterious and lighter textures and then trap you with crashing layers of noise.
Gonius Rex’s raspier screams cut through the instrumentation previously, and while they’re slightly more buried in the mix on The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity the harshness of the pitch still allows it to break through the denseness and add to the overall atmosphere. While it may take a few times through to make out some of the finer details of the performance, on repeat listens you’ll start to notice sung passages and other layers that are used to harmonize with the harsher ranges, creating an equally nightmarish soundscape that is on par with the instrumental tone. These details do feel a bit more subdued, as they popped out a bit more on Casket Dream Veneration, but the depth does make Onirik feel a bit more dynamic than a lot more of the black metal out there. For an album that seems more steeped in fire and madness, it makes sense that the vocals would be even more violent and aggressive than before.
While not of immediate as an album compared to its predecessor, The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity has dense and abrasive instrumentation that puts you into a trancelike state as it swirls from one idea to the next. It’s the type of material one can get lost in, and while not likely to be every black metal fan’s cup of tea those who like the more adventurous and dissonant variants of the genre will find a lot of value in what Onirik has done. This also feels like a natural progression that ties together Casket Dream Veneration with the project’s earlier sound, and it’s another strong showing for Gonius Rex and Portuguese black metal in general. The Fire Cult Beyond Eternity is available from I, Voidhanger Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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