The Pitch: A grand, atmospheric splt between black metal bands Inferno (Czech Republic) and Devathorn (Greece). FFO: Misþyrming,Cult of Fire, Schammasch
What I Like: While I was not previously familiar with Devathorn, seeing Inferno on the bill was reason enough for me to check this out. I became acquainted with Inferno with the excellent Gnosis Kardias (Of Transcension and Involution), an album I called "a stunning union of psychodelic, melodic meditation and ravishing grimness" and named one of my favorite albums of 2017. While the popularity of split releases is still pretty niche, I assure you that Zos Vel Thagirion delivers the same level of quality. In fact, with just 4 tracks spread over 33 minutes, this delivers a more cohesive experience than many LP's I've heard this year. Devathorn left me pleasantly surprised with two very different tracks; the first fiery and aggressive capped off by pounding drums and crackling fire, the second more Behemoth meets Rammstein in a strange but good way. Inferno's side consists largely of a 15+ minute opus traversing ominous, multidimensional black metal, chilling ambience, and some vague notes of jazz before gazing longingly into the abyss with the instrumental outro "Zos Vel Thagirion."
Critiques: While the outro is solid, I would have preferred another proper track. There are moments where the vocals could use a little work as well.
The Verdict: Zos Vel Thagirion is a split release worthy of all the same attention of a standard LP. Inferno and Devathorn's sounds compliment eachother nicely, and both bands deliver top notch compositions for a consistently enjoyable experience.
Flight's Fav's: Azazyel Iscariot, The Solitary Immersion into Autarchic Silence
- Review by FlightOfIcarus
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