It has been said before by this critic that Black Metal and Punk are near to each other on the music family tree. In their non-experimental and unblended forms, they both can sound angry, and they can run a single bar over and over, repeating themselves so many times that an entire album can pass by without the listener being aware of one track change. And when a Black Metal band really keeps it orthodox, they'll do all they can to make their finished product sound like it was recorded decades ago.

After over fifteen years of steady output, CAEDES CRUENTA is releasing their third full-length album, "Of Ritual Necrophagia And Mysterious Ghoul Cults". Having long been compared to contemporary Greek Black Metallers DEVATHORN and to their collective trailblazers in VARATHRON, this band has had to take steps to set themselves apart from not just their own countrymen, but in the bottomless hole of the genre itself.

The title track, "Of Ritual Necrophagia And Mysterious Ghoul Cults", has the distinction of being the only brand new track on the album, as every track that follows is a reimagining, a retread, or both. The intro goes for almost ninety seconds before they spend another minute winding up. "Aura Of Immortal Souls" changes vocal style from the first song's growl to what is essentially a shriek.

"Into The Ashes Of The Unforgotten Woods (L'Inferno)" adds a sharper serving of synth, making it stand out on the album besides being the shortest track available at just over five minutes. The next track, "From The Darkest Paths Of Golgotha", starts with what sounds like an invocation that goes on for almost two minutes before getting on with things, ending on another ancient-sounding prayer.

Kicking off the album's second half, "The Mystical Ritual Of The Dark Priests" begins resembling the soundtrack for a low budget sword-and-sorcery CD-ROM game before it too gets going. "Recitation Of Abyssic Necropsalms" is the last of the very typical songs before "The Wizard Of Yaddith" adds acoustic guitars to the mix, albeit only for it's relatively short intro. Bringing proceedings to a close is "Under The Shadow Of Death", but the track neither sums things up nor does it end on some yet unseen dynamism. It's just over.

So, without really exploring any boundaries or taking any real risks, "Of Ritual Necrophagia And Mysterious Ghoul Cults" tends to miss the mark. Even with the organic live-in-studio recording method it just doesn't stand out; yes it is a foul hellbeast, but it's just another foul hellbeast sharing a yolk with other foul hellbeasts that look just like it. CAEDES CRUENTA are still a serviceable band, however, and the niche of openers to midcarders needs to be filled; Leonidas had two-hundred-ninety-nine other guys with him, after all. But if they want to be more than that, the next album will have to take a big step upwards.