Moribund Records have seemingly opened up the gates of Hell with this debut release from Mexican black metal horde Luciferian Rites. When the Light Dies is a brutal, nightmarish journey that is violent, frightening, and unsettling. You have guessed correctly, When the Light Dies is not going to be for everyone, so if you mainly like your black metal atmospheric and melodic, proceed with caution, as this is raging, maniacal from start to finish, the band barely giving you a chance to catch your breath before the next assault of the barb wire covered wooden staff hits you squarely in the face. Evil shrieking & screaming float across waves of frantic riffs and relentless blast beats, all trademarks of vintage Scandinavian black metal, giving tracks like "Infernal Manifestation" and "Eternal Misanthropy of the Black" an ominous, chilling, and most importantly, brutal vibe. It's not until "A Dreadful Chant for Self-Destruction" that things slow down even for a few minutes, and that is part of my main concern here on When the Light Dies, the lack of variety from song to song. It's all generally unrelenting and at times 'samey' from track to track, which, by the time you get three-quarters of the way through the album, you are completely worn out by the lack of diversity as well as the completely pulverizing nature of these songs. Granted, most black metal fans are probably going to dig the hell out of this, and there's no reason why they won't, as it really delivers on the brutality and chilling feel. When the Light Dies can certainly creep you the hell out, and the musicianship is spot on, so if you have a cast iron stomach and don't mind being bludgeoned to death for a bit, this one is easy to recommend.
Track Listing
01 Eternal Misanthropy of the Black
02 Incinerated Cross
03 Infernal Manifestation
04 When the Light Dies
05 Rotten Creed
06 Conviction of Nocturnal Raven
07 Garden of Spirits
08 A Dreadful Chant for Self-Destruction
09 All Your Lies (Diabolical Memories)
10 Ghost in the Shadows
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