England, although having contributed in a big level for the existence of Heavy Metal, doesn't have any special tradition in Black Metal. VENOM was the seed, I don't say no, but except that and beyond any silk vampire stockings the good bands can be counted in the fingers of one hand. I guess that right now we can add another.
The story of SKALDIC CURSE starts in the beginning of this decade and their first album Pathogen was released in 2006. After some lineup changes here we have their brand new work entitled World Suicide Machine that - I think - captures well their whole musical background.
Most of the good extreme UK bands had their own identity. Examples? Just start from VENOM, NAPALM DEATH, CARCASS, SACRILEGE, to DELIVERANCE and AKERCOCKE. This tradition is somehow present here. SKALDIC CURSE takes all the Black Metal basics, misanthropy, destruction and extreme feelings. They irrigate all these with acid rain, entombing in a grave where death's worms are eating the mental viscera and turn this repugnance against the whole planet. The sickness, the antimony and the weird are kings here turning against you with a natural way.
A destructive mania that starts from MAYHEM, not only of the De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas era but also the Blasphemer period, being the main force for hallucinogen oscillations, malign for the mind eerie VOIVOD-ish melodies eventuating to progressive paroxysms. The bio said about RUSH influences and while in the beginning I was laughing in the end it is not far away from truth.
This sick VOIVOD toxicity plus the anti-gravitation peccant melodies are evident in Pest Against Pest which I find total representative for SKALDIC CURSE's style, mainly for this straggling route that has one song, like starting for an un-ending final destination. Such a song's enlargement is sometimes perfectly tied like in World Suicide Machine while other songs get a little bit tiring, making the whole audition inaccessible without a reason. Generally I would place them being like a more ear-friendly AKERCOCKE and less technical. By the way, guitarist Scapula is Paul Scanlan who was a member of them from the beginning till the Choronzon CD. Apart from that, I believe that all of you that get impressed by the London Lords can find many interesting things in SKALDIC CURSE.
The whole group's performance is good, specifically the guitars are in the center with many 'crazy' but addictive ideas. The vocals include this toxic essence that music has but I would like them to be more convincing. Exception is the last track, Invoking Mal - Being, being a source of negativity with an intro guitar riff very close to VED BUENS ENDE.
World Suicide Machine is a nice album and although it cannot keep my interest unabated in its whole length surely some moments are more than impressing, keeping a personal characteristic but also being full into Black Metal realms.