From the land of the Strzyga and Dziwożona (and Vader & Decapitated too) comes the 2nd full length album by Icon of Evil, Locust Cathedral. With a healthy dose of black metal elements infused with the wider Death metal genre, the album has the fresh taste of a fair maiden's blood.
The chaps from Wroclaw have been around for a while now, having released their first full length album in 2013, except a split (where they partnered with The Dead Goats' and an EP in 2020, they haven't spread as much mayhem and destruction as you'd expect. But then the wait is worth it as their latest album has all the elements of a solid death metal album.
Now, I usually write the review as I listen to the album but on this one, I find myself struggling to divert my attention away from the awesome metal-ness blaring out of my headphones. There is no dilly-dallying as they drag you straight into a world of death, destruction and mayhem, everything a growing metalhead needs. While classed as 'Death metal', this is one of those albums that walks the thin line between 2 genres, in this case Death metal & Black metal and the result is a piece of work that has fast paced riffs, tons of double bass, 2 vocalists delivering vocals that are hell born with heaps of atmospheric black metal thrown in.
As soon as you hit 'play' you can sense the underlying folk metal vibes but they aren't too heavy. The overbearing feeling is one of classic black metal with the album art, vocals, riffs.
I found the songs crisp, this is a band that knows what it can do, does it well and doesn’t muck about. The opening track, Locust Cathedral is a ripper and as you go through the album you can see the influence of solid bands like Deicide and Vader. Icon of Evil hit the zenith with their 5th song, Creeping Corruption. A sublime track that does its erotic dance of death, leading you deeper and deeper into it's layer. The black metal feel lingers heavy in the air with the shrill vocals that accompany the more death metal-esque vocals.
While the majority of the album is produced with a crisp and shiny finish, there are a couple of laggards here, but nothing that would spoil the experience. The stand out elements are the solid riff work and the vocals. Now I did look up the band's social media profile and it seems like the black metal & growls are both the products of the same vocal chords, which, if true is truly commendable.
I would want to come back to this album again and have added it to my list of East-European delicacies!
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