LP Review: "Occulta religiO" by Abhor

Occulta religiO

It's amazing what a small piece of flair can for something otherwise mundane.

At Glacially Musical we abhor (get it) the mundane, save for those moments when milquetoast music just gets it done. That is a rare occurrence.

In any type of art, the out of place piece of the work can take many forms. Progressive rock and metal bands have been spending their whole lives mind melding flamenco and psychedelic guitars...with mixed results.

What about a black and white movie or photograph, but there's one small piece of color. One can't help but think back to the infamous red coat in Schindler's List. How much time is there in our lifetimes to unpack the seemingly out of place?

Abhor

As it begins, Abhor's latest album is a testament to black metal, of a slightly improved variety.

Honestly, I nearly turned it off in favor of listening to something else that might catch me.

Then...

Like the little girl wearing the red coat, something out of place caught my eye.

This happened during the second track, Fons Malorum. There was this keyboard part that seemed like it was tracked incorrectly.

Black Metal is no stranger to keyboards, especially when it comes to standard Scandinavian Black Metal.

But these keys weren't the synthy melodies commonplace in a Dimmu Borgir track. The notes fell off of the keyboard of a baroque organ.

This organ melody didn't permeate the whole song much less the entire album. Its was there as if to say, are you listening to us?

Well, yes, I am listening and will continue to do so. That song is a metaphor for the entire album. It's as if someone is in your house and moving around the furniture, but only just slightly.

And then you wonder if you're going mad.

Release: 5/25/18
Genre: Black metal
Label: Iron Bonehead
Facebook