Regular readers of mine will know that I can be a bit (okay, a lot) picky when it comes to the Black metal I listen to. The 'Post-' and 'Symphonic' are particular loves of mine. Today we have a splendid example of the latter. Hailing from Barcelona, Spain, ERZSEBET deliver a suitably sinister mix of the classic Black metal sound pocked with orchestral flurry and plenty of personality in their The Blasphemous Lady EP. Following creepy intro track "Ördög's Moon", "Erzsébet" opens with a downright terrifying theme, very much evoking Holst's Mars from the Planets Suite but in a way that is more disturbing than outright scary. It's short and sweet but it gives the listener a tantalising taste of what is to come.

Sinister and strained piano notes open "Wraiths Behind the Mirror" followed by a veritable Blackened assault. Plenty of spoken vocals keep things interesting and help to establish the vampiric mood (Lady Bathory is mentioned on a number of occasions, go figure!) "Cachtice" indulges in a lengthy, atmospheric intro that really hypes up the listener. The title refers to the castle in which Elizabeth Bathory was imprisoned following her conviction - these guys really indulge the myth of Countess Bathory, and given the sheer ubiquity of her story in popular culture and in the literature of serial killers and vampires who can blame them!

"Darvulia's Eye" is good enough to have been written by CRADLE OF FILTH. Yes, that is a compliment, if a slightly sideways one! Conjoined melodies blending guitar and organ really feed into that High Gothic feel (basically imagine if Edgar Allan Poe had a metal soundtrack, this would be it!) It's an absolute stomper and given this is their debut release this is especially impressive. Finally, we close with the title-track. This is an especially aggressive track, blastbeats and frantic tremolo riffs initiating the carnage. More spoken narration and darkly melodic guitars accentuate the track and leave the listener revelling in a heretical sensation of blasphemous pleasure.

Make no mistake, for a debut release this has all the makings of a band ready and able to make a big mark on the metal scene. It's got a legitimate air of threat and menace that, let's be honest, is a baseline requirement for anything in the Black metal category! ERZSEBET stand on their own two feet, however, and have the potential to carve out a very comfortable niche for themselves. Anyone who enjoys CRADLE OF FILTH or otherwise gets a serious kick out the that uniquely Gothic brand of blasphemy could do a lot worse than to give these guys a listen!