We must dig deeper! I need new black metal. Black metal I can thrash my neck too. Black metal with some flare that isn’t gimmicky. Well, that’s exactly what I found. 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre, a Chinese black metal act originating from Guangdong province. Nothing else is known of this project; not even whether this is a group or one-man project. And this is their debut self-titled release. So I had no idea what to expect outside of their badass name and scorched earth album cover.

Damn this was a treat. 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre takes straight forward blackened death metal and adds in folk. This is nothing new in the grand scheme of black metal. The genre has been fusing folk tendencies in a variety of ways since the 90’s. Well their folk influences are tied to their home country. Native instrumentation is utilized cohesively with the heavier segments to give them more flavor. Alone the heavier segments are harsh. They claw away at your face and fuck up everything around them. Really matches the album cover’s depiction of destruction and scorching the earth around them.

The folkier elements are cinematic in their presentation on 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre. Quite the contrast to other folk black metal albums which use it solely for atmosphere and a layer of tranquility to counteract bleakness. The album is made to feel like a movie right from the beginning with the breeze that carries the woodwinds across the battlefield on “破軍 The Expendables” as a foreshadow of the upcoming bloodshed. Out of nowhere the rapid blast beats and shredding tremolo picking busts through with visceral shrieks that are the sound of nightmares. The bursts of riffs that suspend for acoustic elements to quickly present themselves just to devolve back into the brutality is a head banger’s heaven. Transitioning into “殞殤 Desperate War” we get more breezy woodwinds, but with the addition of cries for help distant in the background. These reappear later in the song further pushing the cinematic vibe of 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre. The drumming on this specific track is fantastic switching from straight forward blasts to more dynamic sections that do not lose intensity.

The lead single “慟嘯 Wailing Wrath” moves on retaining the tone, but is more melodic in the guitar work. Although slower, the unbridled aggression remains. This is the first track we see them making the best out of their traditional folk by using it liberally in the heavier segments. It does provide nice cooling points throughout the album, but it is very typical for undeveloped folk black metal artists to use it primarily for that purpose. So to hear the acoustics join in the tremolo picking is refreshing. I’m not saying I dislike these quieter moments; on the contrary. I just get more enjoyment out of the folk being fused into each side of the coin. Speaking of which, the next track “歸隱 Hermit” is an instrumental interlude that adds some more unique characteristics. The birds chirping and flowing water hidden behind these majestically textured woodwinds really hit a sweet spot in my heart for more natural sounds in black metal.

The interlude’s tone transfers into “肅弒 Rainy Night Carnage” with booming thunder and thick plucking that once again foreshadows that the fight is far from over. As they fade out, the aggression begins to fade back in. I love how the cacophony takes a small step back and becomes more groove oriented to allow the wind instruments to spaz out closer to the forefront of the arrangement. Moving onto the closing track, “哀忿 Despair and Resentment”, we get a more straightforward and brooding performance. Complimenting are vocals that shift to guttural growls. Doom metal-esque riffs also appear for a short moment.

God I love this. 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre turned traditionally peaceful instrumentals into pleasantly unpleasant war music. Not to come off as nit-picking, but I feel there is still untapped potential in 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre’s sound. There is opportunity to expand on their folk influence and tie it in a more epic fashion. Some of the sections feel slightly stagnant for a little too long in their ideas. I also feel a few of the transitions were too abrupt, but not enough that they became jarring. These are minor though with the movie this album paints. I wish I understood the lyrics because after reading the translations they are just as epic as the music that surrounds them. I hope 殞煞 Vengeful Spectre continues to grow recognition because there is a good chance their next album will be just as good, if not better, than their self-titled debut, and I cannot wait.

Favorite Tracks: “破軍 The Expendables”; “慟嘯 Wailing Wrath”; “歸隱 Hermit”; “肅弒 Rainy Night Carnage”

Rating: 8/10

Released: 01/07/2020

Label: Pest Productions

Genres: Blackened Death Metal, Chinese Folk

Remember this is all my opinion and I would like to hear yours. Music is overall subjective which allows for great discussions and the chance to learn about music and your own personal taste in music. Make sure to subscribe to the blog for notifications of new reviews, and keep being a music nerd.

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