Celestial Grave – Vitriolic Atonement (Review)

This is the second album from Celestial Grave, a black metal band from Finland.

Across 34 minutes Celestial Grave deliver an underground strain of black metal that’s raw and sharp, yet is not lacking an atmospheric and emotive side.

Vitriolic Atonement delivers black metal imbued with a melancholic potency that’s compelling. The aggressive aspects of the music are largely pressed into the service of mood and atmosphere, although there’s enough left over to provide a strong venomous bite. Despondent melodies strike out from the body of the music with impassioned bright vitality, before being dragged down once more into the blackened maelstrom.

There’s a hypnotic quality to the music that’s quite endearing. The songs offer sheets of frosted cold, yet sinister textures lurk within the icy landscape. Celestial Grave bury their detail in plain sight, wrapped in frozen winds and concealing darkness. Breach the veneer, and there is a lot to explore on Vitriolic Atonement.

Vocally we get a diverse delivery across a range of screams, roars, growls, moans, howls, and chants. The singer is clearly possessed by something foul and daemonic, offering a performance that’s grim and malevolent.

Vitriolic Atonement is a solid slice of blackened atmosphere and venomous intensity. Celestial Grave have produced an album that’s worth spending some time with; as you grow acclimatised to its infernal charms and expressive malignancy it will surely claim you as its own.