This is the fifth album from Corpus Diavolis, a French black metal band.
I enjoyed 2017’s Atra Lumen and 2021’s Apocatastase, (which I honestly thought I had reviewed), so when the promo for Elixiria Ekstasis appeared I wanted very much to be able to get to it. Alas, it was not to be, as sadly there just isn’t enough time in the world. However, as I like Corpus Diavolis I eventually made the mistake of listening to it – a mistake, only because it’s damn good and I knew I had to write about it – which is why, despite this coming out in March, you’re reading this now.
Yes, I have been compelled to find the time to cover this, as Elixiria Ekstasis is a strong record. After the last couple of albums it seems that what the artwork for this new album has lost in sophisticated quality, the music has gained in no uncertain terms. Corpus Diavolis mean business, and Elixiria Ekstasis is a scorcher. Combining occult second wave black metal with influences from the newer dissonant school of dark arts, Elixiria Ekstasis provides an esoteric ritual for the listener to dive deep into across 58 minutes.
The songs are well-crafted and steeped in mysterious atmosphere and bladed aggression. The music is engaging and rewarding, blurring the lines between the sharp melodic venom of bands like Marduk, Watain, or Dark Funeral, the dissonant malevolence of an act like Deathspell Omega, and the otherworldly manifestations of someone like Nightbringer. This applies to the well-performed vocals too, which employ a wider amount of styles than is usually the case, while benefiting from a backbone of serrated screams.
With blistering bloodred assault and withering blackened intensity do Corpus Diavolis approach their material. Layered upon this foundation lie atmospheric proclivities that add spectral colour, a taste for melodies that highlight and drive home the music’s impact, dissonant stylings that embellish the classical core, and a grim confidence that comes from knowing that you’re delivering your best work.
Corpus Diavolis have learned from the best, applying their forbidden learnings to their own rarefied practices. As a result, Elixiria Ekstasis is riven with classic elements that firmly connect it to black metal’s ancient history, while also having a voice to call its own within this.
Elixiria Ekstasis is a strong, rewarding, and enjoyable record. It’s longer than I would typically like for an album like this, but apart from the token pointless interlude that seems to somehow be mandatory for most bands these days, this is a record that makes very good use of its time in the darkness. If you’re an adherent of quality underworld black metal, then Corpus Diavolis is definitely one to explore.
Wonderbox Metal 