Precaria: Negraluminiscencia

This release brings together in one all the music Precaria released on two split albums. The first split, Metamorphosphoros, came out in 2018 and featured music by Precaria, Deathspiral of Inherited Suffering, and Dominus Ira. The second split, Theosulphuros, was released in November 2020, and features music by Precaria and �"ros Kaù. I was excited to find out that Precaria had more music and decided to listen to this album, rather than the splits, so I could focus on what the band has done since 2015’s Precaria Ex Humanitas.

Precaria is a (mostly) one-man black metal project. The guitars, bass, and vocals are all performed by Hermit, but he does draw on the talents of Opposus Discordia for the drums on tracks 1-4 and Bestia for the drums on tracks 5-8. There are also keys and ambience provided by Nykteia on tracks 1-4. The lyrical themes mostly have to do with esoteric philosophy, particularly the ways it addresses the strange boundary between life and death, light and dark, understanding and ignorance. Depending on the song, the lyrics are either in Latin, Spanish, or English. They mostly have to do with mortal decay, death, and the promise of transformation. You can read them on the band’s Bandcamp page. While you are there, check out the cover art for this album. A heavily symbolic piece, it reinforces the larger ideas at play here without giving everything away too quickly.

Precaria’s sound and songwriting have come a long way over the years. Hermit has always written dense and complex pieces, but there’s even more going on with these tracks. Although the music sounds better, it is still raw in ways that fans of underground black metal will appreciate. It’s also thematically dark and pushes against all mainstream expectations.

Put another way, Precaria is a band that requires careful attention. The music is dense and thick and relentless, and the lyrics are intricate reflections on esoteric themes. Yes, there are other bands that do similar things, but Precaria does it well. It’s also clear enough to me that this is a thoughtful musical project, more than just an assault on the senses.

To get a good taste of Precaria’s sound, you’ll have to settle in. Most of the songs are on the longer side and don’t lend themselves to kicking back and chilling out. But if you like underground black metal, you’ll probably like this. Any of the tracks will give you a good introduction, but I’d suggest “Heautontimorumenos� and “Ex Nigredo.� If you want something slightly mellower (and shorter!), check out “Ritus Absconditus.� I also liked “Ex Abyssia.� If you want to read the lyrics, you can find them on Precaria’s bandcamp page. Reading them will definitely help you get a better sense of the band’s larger thematic interests. I’ll look forward to more from Precaria.

Track Listing:
1. Ritus Primordiales
2. Ex Abyssia
3. Traficando los Organos de la Iglesia
4. La Obra Negra Deicida
5. Ritus Absconditus
6. Ex Nigredo
7. Darkness is My Light
8. Heautontimorumenos

Added: December 18th 2020
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Bandcamp Page
Hits: 694
Language: english

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