Orcustus — Self titled

Orcustus self titled début album is a no nonsense slice of mainly speedy ‘n’ spiteful  old school Norwegian black metal. The band are a two piece featuring two seasoned Norwegian black metal-lers in the form of Taipan(Amok , Abattoir) on vocals, guitar & bass. And Dirge Rep on Drums who has blackedly pounded for the likes of Gehenna, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Aura Noir & Nattefrost.

Each of the seven tracks here hits between 3 to 7 minute mark and each is built around dark, brutal & discordent edged blacked metal riffs that mainly drag and bash along at quite a pace. Though the pair do manage to keep things interesting and enterataining by adding in the odd shifts towards slower cold guitar vistas, shifts in pace, grim vocal layers, the odd film sample too- which are used in a sparring and effective manner and of course the all important grim speeding riff matter that remains unforgiving yet quite memorable.

There are no keyboards or acoustic interludes here, Orcustus are all about making grim, mankind hating black metal and that’s exactly what you get. The only thing I felt let the album down in a few places is that the production does feel a little too good and not necro enough sometimes; but I guess it’s difficult to get the balance right between been old school yet blackly sleek and dangerous vibe that their trying to create here.