This is the seventh album from solo Portuguese black metal band Black Cilice.
This is raw black metal, steeped in esoteric atmosphere. Across four expressive songs, the artist behind Black Cilice spends 34 minutes weaving black magicks out of shadow and ritual. Votive Fire is transportive in that unique way that only black metal can be.
Votive Fire has the sort of underground raw production values that will see most people run away a mile in any direction to get away from it. When you pay attention to what’s going on though, you can hear the music well enough. This has always been the case with Black Cilice – raw, but listenable, striking the right balance between impenetrable darkness and the arcane power of the songs.
Of the latter, each one of these four songs has a well-crafted spirit. It’s a mood-first record, driven by obscure hostility, but with the aim of atmospheric immersion, (an aim it achieves most capably). The songs succeed in bending reality to their will through aggressive force, yet their fiery heart burns cold, dripping with malevolent auras and a palpable sense of otherworldly presence.
So, atmosphere and aggression. All well and good, but even with the raw production choices, Votive Fire stands above most similar acts. It’s largely to do with the guitars, (although not exclusively). These have been shaped by lethal blackened ice. The interplay between cold distorted blackness and warmer melodic nuance is engrossing. It’s easy to lose yourself in these guitars as they map out the contours of each song, twisting, raging, exploring, diving, expelling, soaring, piercing, and generally revelling in their ability to build worlds full of wondrous nightmares. It’s remarkable.
If the unyielding sound doesn’t dampen your enthusiasm, then Votive Fire is worth spending time with. The artist behind Black Cilice has a reputation for quality underground black metal, and Votive Fire will do nothing to tarnish this.
Very highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 