OnJune 1st,Altare Productionsis proud to present the debut album ofCandelabrum,Necrotelepathy. Hailing from the raw black metal hotbed of Portugal,Candelabrumbuilt a sizable reputation last year in the underground with a trio of demo tapes. However, whereas those three demos were primarily slow-tempo black metal with a simultaneously majestic/morbid atmosphere,Necrotelepathyis something else altogether - and a triumph of total otherworldliness.

Comprising two epic-length, side-long tracks,Necrotelepathybrims with a complexity of not just composition, but more so texture. To start, the deliberately blistering, in-the-red rawness imparts both a sense of unorthodox "wrongness" and almost exaggerated nakedness. However, such a soundfield is sincere in its intent, asCandelabrumwield it much like another instrument in a manner similar to cult countrymen Black Cilice: the mesmerizing qualities inherent in the band's black metal are intensified to a literally out-of-this-world extent that severs it completely from normal "metalhead" metal or, most especially, the more social-oriented ends of "black metal."

But at heart,Candelabrumare songwriters. The two twisting journeys that constituteNecrotelepathyweave and wind through myriad explosions of emotion - some extended for maximum hypnosis, of course - that are all generously suffused with a yearning, stargazing sort of melodicism. It's the sort comparable to the darker corners of classic Norwegian black metal like Kvist, Hades, and early Manes, but when filtered through such a beyond-harsh recording style, a certain shimmering quality emerges, and hauntingly so. Not surprisingly, the album lyrically deals with out-of-body experiences, contact with the dead, and the vastness of the beyond. Indeed, it's that lattermost subject that forms the wings on whichNecrotelepathytakes flight - and with it, the listener himself/herself.

The Portuguese raw scene has made great strides in recent years, and justifiably earned its underground acclaim. But withNecrotelepathy,Candelabrumnow have delivered arguably its most defining momentandits most iconoclastic.

"Necrotelepathy" Track Listing:

1. Necrotelepathy Part I - Distant Voices in the Darkest Night
2. Necrotelepathy Part II - Prayers for the Damnation of Man