Execrari – Desolation Manifest (Review)

This is the debut album from US black metal band Execrari.

Containing a member of Relentless, Execrari’s style is rooted in black metal’s second wave, while also showing some contemporary influences and progressive, melodic, and avant-garde tendencies. Desolation Manifest has come out of nowhere to really impress. There are six songs, spanning 47 minutes, and each track is a powerful reminder of just how potent black metal can be in the right hands. Exciting even, despite its ancient roots.

Execrari deal in aggressive mystery; Desolation Manifest offers the listener something substantial to get their teeth into, while also getting their fix of blackened hostility. The vocals are varied and well-performed, from cleans to screams to shouts. Combined with the music, there’s a lot of mood and feeling explored across this album, but it never neglects the serrated, scathing aggression for too long either.

The songwriting is strong throughout, with a good grasp on how the various components all work together for the benefit of the whole. The guitars are a frequent highlight, seeming to morph from second wave groove to esoteric melody and warped blackened worldbuilding with supernatural ease. It’s sometimes like listening to a sonic serpent as it slithers and slides its way through the airwaves. The songs regularly flow like living entities, carrying the listener along on waves of arcane distortion and striking melodies that are simultaneously bright and dark.

Desolation Manifest is a modern black metal record that, despite this, would probably have been quite at home in the late 90s/early 00s, as second wave acts looked to increasingly broaden their sound. There are shades of Arcturus and Borknagar, and maybe a touch of Dødheimsgard, for example. Throw in a bit of Emperor, Satyricon, and Marduk, and you have a recipe for a pretty damn good record.

Although built from recognisable materials, Execrari have a way with their art that’s theirs alone. It’s infectious and moreish, I have to say. I wasn’t expecting Desolation Manifest to be as good as it is, but here we are. This is one of the reasons I keep this site going – it allows me to randomly stumble upon absolute gems like this.

Well, this is something special. This is a record that demands a wider audience. Let it not be condemned to obscurity, but rather preach the gospel of Execrari far and wide! Rejoice, for Desolation Manifest is here!

Essential listening.