Sepulchral Curse – Crimson Moon Evocations
Release Date: 28th February 2025
Label: Dark Descent Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Blackened Death Metal, Death Metal.
FFO: Sulphur Aeon, Incantation, Witch Vomit, Ulthar, Immolation, Ashen Tomb.
Review By: Rick Farley
Finland’s Sepulchral Curse return with album number three of destructive, blackened death metal. Paired with Dark Descent Records, their release of Crimson Moon Evocations unleashes February 28th, 2025. A brutal, dark trip through the soundscapes of crushing death metal flavoured with pitch black menace. Fiery tremolo picking, punishing blast beats, low gutturals and bone breaking hooks all aimed directly at your skull.
Built on a weighty, dissonant foundation, Crimson Moon Evocations is a bastardized mix of melody, crunch and ferocity that’s heavily riff driven. Sledgehammering guitars rip and twist with staggering musicianship. Intricate passages full of blackened, spidery playing within the confines of structured death metal, enhancing the crunchier riffs to hit even harder as they reach full weaponized groove. Not tech death by any means, but all these dudes can play. Not to be outdone by the crisp guitars, the drums are snappy and full of life. Equalling the intensity of the riffs, they transition from serving the song to pounding the hell out of your chest with explosive double bass. The low indecipherable vocals have less variation than the music but hits no less hard. Sometimes bellowing growls are exactly what bands need to convey their brutal aesthetic further. There are diverse levels of screams here and there, but for the most part the vocals remain as if a colossal beast is emptying its lungs of guttural noise. The music is densely complex, atmospheric yet melodic, so the low vocals work well in my opinion with everything that’s going on music wise. I could see however where some might see this as less interesting vocally.
Crimson Moon Evocations isn’t a colourful record, meaning it feels oppressive, and suffocating. Its engulfing tones are darkly shaded, bordering on doomy guitars without all the depressive gloom. Unapologetically destructive, levelling anything in its path with its abyssal ambience. There are however enough melodic passages throughout the entire record that cracks the seams within its own walls, to where shards of light break out, giving plenty of respite and variation in moods. Adding flourishes of melodic death metal at times where it’s needed, Sepulchral Curse does an excellent job of beating you to near death and then letting you get your breath back for a few seconds, only to do it again. Distinctively riff driven, this record hits like a fucking wrecking ball. It doesn’t veer too far into the overly speedy realm, but the mid paced to slow crawl works in the bands favour, setting an atmosphere that’s extremely blood pumping and nerve-shredding without being completely pedal to the metal. It ramps the intensity up when it needs to, but these songs are well crafted and thought out, not relying on just blistering speed.
Crimson Moon Evocations was produced at Oxroad Studios in Finland by Tomi Uusitupa, with mastering by Are Kangus. As I said before, the record is dense, and murky but warm toned enough, making it an easier listen than one would think based on my description thus far. It’s not sharply toned or ear-piercing. The clarity could be better, it can get a tad muddy at its most chaotic moments, however that too sometimes works in its favour, adding even more dimension of engulfing atmosphere. The darkly mesmerizing artwork was done by Mark Erskine.
“The album is not just a milestone, but a statement: Sepulchral Curse has ascended to the pinnacle of blackened death metal!”
I would have to agree, easy recommend.
(4 / 5)
