Suel are a German black metal band and this is their debut album.
Venomous Curse brings us 45 minutes of classic black metal, influenced by the second wave of the 90s.
Venomous Curse scythes through the airwaves with the sort of murderous blackened riffs that cut like frosted blades. Suel certainly know what they’re doing, that’s readily apparent. All of the musical components are solid, but the guitars are particularly strong. Suel know how to peel off a good riff that’s instantly arresting, but also know how to arrange and structure their songs to take advantage of them. The band’s songwriting skills are above average.
Across the songs the band blend ruthless riffs with sinister atmosphere and imposing presence. Cold melodies are deployed like weapons, different paces conspire to produce frozen dynamics and dark energies, and the layout of the tracks is engaging. There are some good guitar solos too, which are still relatively uncommon in the style, and here work really well.
The atmospheric side of Suel is well-developed. As well as fusing it deeply into the blackened distortion, the band are also adept at focusing purely on mood-rich sections when the need arises, delivering an occult flavour through esoteric chants, sinister immersion, and creative uses of grim ambient backdrops.
The vocals are diverse and well-performed. Screams, shouts, chants, growls, roars, moans, semi-cleans, and other inhuman vocalisations make for a compelling performance across the board.
Venomous Curse is an enjoyable slice of traditional second wave black metal. If you’re partial to the style, then Suel should more than satisfy.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 