Mantiel/Wampyric Rites — Ensomhet (Shattered Memories From A Distant Past)

Ensomhet (Shattered Memories From A Distant Past) is a seven-track raw black metal ‘n’ dungeon synth split. It features Chile’s Mantiel and  Ecuador’s Wampyric Rites. The former takes in great blackly gurgling vocals & an almost shambling outsider music take on BM. And the latter shifts from gloomily wavering retro synth craft, onto cluttering & haphazard BM. All making for rewarding spilt.

The release appears on Lithuania’s Inferna Profundus Records. Been available mid-March in the form of either ultra clear with black splatter, or black vinyl edition- both of these editions are strictly ltd to just 50 copies - though there is an unlimited digital release of the album too. And these all can be found here, as well as getting a taster of two tracks from the release too. 

The first side is taken up by three tracks from Chile three-piece Mantiel- who have been active since 2018, and have recently changed their name to Mánþiel.  They have four albums to their name, as well as five demos/ splits. We open with “Under the Black Hearts of Majestic Lands” which is all messily pummelling drums, forlornly scrambling riff craft, and deep-throat gurgling vocals. At a point, we get a most effective breakdown- with marching ‘n’ crashing drums rolls, and moody riff chops- before things race off in banteringly forlorn BM, with more of those gurgling grim vocals.  Next, we have “Die Rabenfestung”, and this is very much the track I get an outsider music vibe- as we find this shimmering ‘n’ waving grim Spanish waltz-like riff, which is surrounded by setback/ fixed BM drums, and those wonderful blackly gurgling vocals. All sound rather close to what Jandek might do if he turned to the BM side.

Moving onto the second side, and we have four tracks from two-piece Wampyric Rites- who come from Loja, Ecuado. This project started in 2019- having twenty-nine releases to its name thus far, featuring two full-lengths, and a selection of demos, splits, and EPs. We begin with “Ingreso” which is three minutes eighteen seconds worth of spiral to simmering retro synth- that’s decidedly wavering ‘n’ pitch warped. Moving on we have the messily galloping BM of “II Sombrias Dimenciones Nocturnas” which finds chaotical smashing percussion, blacked hissed vocals, and tolling guitar work- with the track's pace sloppy-yet-rewarding shifting between mid-and-fast pace.

There is no doubt Inferna Profundus Records is one of the more consistent underground black metal labels running today, as they always seem to seek out band's who put a bit more effort/ shambling skill into creating their own take on BM/dungeon synth art. And Ensomhet (Shattered Memories From A Distant Past) is another prime example of this.