Vitriolic Atonement
Celestial Grave
From Bandcamp, "Vitriolic Atonement" goes through different sacraments and rites. Inhale and take in the aspects of darkness, death, and the beyond that are in reach on this mortal plane. Give in, admire its beauty, and come to terms with it. Prepare for the inevitable, because the beyond will be something no mind nor soul can fully comprehend." The album has six songs.
"Eucharist" is the first. It features a dark and heavy sound, without the wall of guitars that you often hear in the genre. The vocals are vile and more traditional sounding, and the riffs are discernable, while heavy bass notes thump underneath. "Cadaverous Solace" features a similar sound from the guitars and vocals. The music is a bit more chaotic as well, but the guitar notes are in the same range as the previous song. "Clemency" is the longest on the album. It opens with soft acoustical guitars and even some rays of sun in the cloudy abyss on the horizon. But the skies darken quickly and with a flash of lightning, nightfall returns once again. It tumbles forward on a rough, patchy road where your tires are put through the ringer.
"The Abyss Exhales" is a short, three-minute blast of chaos and aggressive weight. The structure of the riffs reminds me of the NWOBHM bands, minus the crisp production. The composer must have drawn some influence there. "Exaltation" is fast-moving and aggressive song that has tinges of Doom and clean, female spoken words. They repeat the riff at the end until it mesmerizes the listener. "Radiant Tides Below" closes the album. It has a more traditional Extreme Metal sound, especially from the guttural vocals. At times, it sounds like the pieces of the song are aligning in just the right places, but independent phasing issues rear their head as well.
Although this album had a bit of a different sound then many Black Metal albums, the bad production and uninventive riffs didn't help it much. At times, I could hear a NWOBHM influence in the sound. It's not a total loss however, just not that great either.
5 / 10
Mediocre
Songwriting
Musicianship
Memorability
Production
"Vitriolic Atonement" Track-listing:
1. Eucharist
2. Cadaverous Solace
3. Clemency
4. The Abyss Exhales
5. Exaltation
6. Radiant Tides Below
Celestial Grave Lineup:
Anonymous
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